What's Left, When All Seems Lost?
by TheLivingMyth
Summary: "Your world can end in a blink of an eye. One event, one unexpected twist of fate - and suddenly the world as you knew it is gone, forever. All that you held dear, all that you held close is washed away into the sea of distant memory. Life... is cruel. Of this I have no doubt. But life continues on! With or without you..." C. Seymour (Cover Photo by TheBodaciousE)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody, welcome to the first chapter of, the inspiration for this story came from the story** ** _"Loving Return"_** **, by Devumaru. So if you haven't read his story I suggest you read it. I won't be a constant updater guys, so sorry for that. This story will be kinda similar to Devumaru's in a few ways, but different as well.**

 ***Cough Plagiarism Cough***

 **Story time!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"When did this happen, how did this happen, but more importantly, when did it begin?"

Those were the words that left a questionable void in one young mans head as he eye'd an envelope he had in his hands while sitting in the back seat of a black SUV. The address written on the envelope was suppose to be sent to 1216 Franklin Ave, in fact it was suppose to be sent close to a year ago, but he never had the courage to send it. The mans appointed driver kept his eyes on the road in dead silence as they drove down the highway in the state of Michigan. He relaxed his back on the soft seats of the SUV as he tucked the envelope under his uniform before taking off his White Uniformed Cap that went along with his Blue-White dress uniform he was able to wear for his family reunion. It's been what, nine... ten years since he was sent to a disciplinary boot-camp. From what his father told him, he was suppose to be there for a month ever since the huge mistake he and his ten sisters did so long ago. Such thoughts made him chuckle at how troublesome they all were to their parents, oh how he loves them all. With that out of mind, the disciplinary camp he was sent to, they made a huge mistake that screwed over about half of the children that were sent there. Half of the children were lucky enough to be sent home after the month was over, but on his end they were-

"We'll be arriving at your hometown in a little less than an hour Sergeant." The driver spoke having an accent of a country man. "Would you like me to take you all the way to your household-"

"No, it's fine. Just drop me off at the nearest burger joint when we get inside."

"Yes Sergeant." The driver replied.

"You don't have to call me that anymore you know, call me Lincoln." The now named Lincoln spoke as he leaned to the driver seat while putting his hand on the seat. "I am officially retired from the corps after all."

The driver chuckled lightly before shaking his head lightly. "My apologies Sarge, but it just doesn't feel right." The Driver replied with a small smile as he glanced back to look at Lincoln for a few seconds. "From what I heard back at HQ, you and your Squad got into some pretty hefty and suicidal situations. Even as you guys climbed through the ranks, you all never stayed far from the heat of the battle where I know more for a fact that many others would try to do so. We hold the highest respects for you all."

Lincoln lightly smiled as he rested his head on the seat. "Yeah, we did get into some pretty deep shit didn't we." He muttered before gazing out the window, his smile soon turned into one filled with sorrow as he thought back to the tragic incident that torn him apart emotionally. However, before he could think to much about the matter, his eyes soon laid on an upcoming sign that said, _Royal Woods in Fifty Miles,_ which knocked him out of his thoughts _._ The sign made Lincoln hum in response to what his eyes read. "So I'm almost home eh?" He thought before slowly closing his eyes to think back to the moment his new life began.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Ten years ago in a beautiful neighborhood inside the town of Royal Woods, all was peaceful and quiet making the place seem like the perfect place to settle down and start a life.

"Give it back Lana!"

Eh, well almost.

The Loud House was a very lively household that brought the neighborhood to life with its constant noise making. I mean, how couldn't it be with ten girls and one boy all living under one roof?

Lana Loud, a Tomboyish girl at the age of six was currently running around the house holding onto one of her twin sisters make-up equipment. "Ya want it? Ya want the lipstick?" Lana taunted her sister as she held it in front of her.

"Give it to me Lana!" Lola screamed once more.

"Well then come and get it!" She began to run once more further ticking Lola off while causing her to continue her chase.

Lori Loud, the eldest child in the house at the age of seventeen, and was currently laying on the living room couch on the phone with her beloved Bobby Santiago. "Aww, I love you too Bobby-boo!" She cooed into her phone just as the two twins race by, one screaming and the other laughing. "One second love." Lori spoke into her phone before covering it with her hand. "Keep it down will ya! I'm talking on the phone here!" She yelled.

This action was soon followed by another loud noise coming from a guitar, courtesy of Luna Loud, the third eldest child in the family at the age of fifteen, and also a huge rock lover. As she continued to play, a stray basketball hit her shoulder causing her to miss a tune. Luna turned to the person who sabotaged her play and glared at who it was.

"Watch where you're throwing that damn ball Lynn!" Luna hissed.

"Maybe you shouldn't get in the way of my ball." Lynn pointed towards the wall where she had a basketball hoop placed.

Lynn Loud is the fifth eldest child in the Loud family at the age of thirteen, she's a huge sports fan and is known to be a jock as well further increasing pride when it comes to anything with physical activity.

Before Luna could say anything, another blonde girl appeared holding two tank tops, one red and the other orange. "Hey guys which tank top do you think would be a much more fitting color for summer?"

"Why is this important Leni?" Lynn questioned.

Leni Loud is the second eldest sister of the family at age sixteen, she loves to be stylish about her clothing but her knowledge is a bit on the low section. Leni felt a tug on her skirt and looked down to see Lily pointing at the orange tank top with a smile.

"You think the orange one is good?" Leni questioned Lily, which she replied with a nod.

Lily Loud is the youngest of the Loud family at the age 1, she's a loud crier and still has a lot of growing to do before her hobbies are known.

"Why thank you Lily." Leni smiled as she took Lily's advice.

"Hey Leni! 'Orange' you glad that Lily picked your tank top for ya? Hahahaha!"

The sisters within hearing distance groaned at the line Luan told.

Luan Loud is the fourth eldest child in the Loud family at the age of fourteen, knowing her she loves to tell a lot of jokes and pull pranks on her family no matter how severe they get.

"What? Too soon?" Luan questioned as she tilted her head.

"Eh, it could've been worse."

Luan looked to her right after hearing a voice and jumped when she saw Lucy standing there reading her book.

Lucy Loud was probably the strangest child of all. At the age of eight, her gothic appearance only added to that since she can sort of appear whenever she wants to.

"D-Don't do that Lucy!" Luan nearly yelled. "I thought I was about to have a heart-attack."

"If that happens to be so, I can always restore your heart back into proper function if you suddenly give out." Lisa spoke as she walked passed Lucy and Luan, not taking her eyes off the clipboard she was scribbling notes on.

Lisa Loud, at the age of four was probably the smartest child in human history. She is a child prodigy, exceeding in every single level of education from elementary and passed high school level as well. She was not to be taken lightly, for she will no doubt do some incredible things in her life.

"Hey guys, look what I found in the attic!" A white haired boy who seem to be the only male child in the family spoke as held up an old, dusty frame with a picture attached to it.

"What's so special about that piece of junk anyways?" Lori questioned, rolling her eyes as she switched to texting Bobby since the noise didn't go down like she wanted it to.

Leni grabbed the frame from Lincoln before observing iy herself. "Wow! I didn't know the world was colored black and white back then?"

"Thatsh because it wasn't Leni." Lisa spoke as she took the frame from her. "Thish picture was tooken over twenty years ago it sheems, and it looks as if our father is also in it." She pointed at a younger looking Lynn Sr back in his prime.

By this time everyone grew interested in the picture and tried to grab a hold of it to see it for themselves.

"Hey, let go! I had it first!" Lola growled as she tugged on the old frame.

"Buzz off! I was here first than you!" Lynn shot back.

"If anyone should be getting to see it first, it should be me!" Lori exclaimed, surprisingly taking interests instead of on her phone.

Lincoln nervously chuckled as he watched the scene unfold before him. "Uh, girls. Don't you think you're taking this a tad bit too seriously?"

They all ignored their brothers concern as they continued to pull, shout, and throw insults at one another.

"Didn't you already see the picture Lisa?!"

"I haven't quite made a full obshervation on it yet." She replied.

Lincoln sighed, his sisters can sometimes start wars over the smallest problems. "Alright, that's enough!" He took a hold of the picture as well before trying to pry it out of his sisters hands. "If you all won't cooperate on sharing your time with it then no one can see-"

*snap*

"iiiiiiittttt!" The frame snapped into pieces causing Lincoln to lose his balance and stumble back a few steps before falling. His head smashed itself against the window behind him shattering it in the process before falling to his butt.

There was a collective *gasp* around the room as they witnessed what happened to Lincoln, but before they could say anything or go check if he was alright, they heard a rushing of foot steps coming from upstairs and down the steps

"Okay, what's with all of that noise?!" Lynn Sr spoke in an authoritative tone as his wife, Rita held a small glare. Lynn Sr observed the room before noticing Lincoln on the floor rubbing the back of his head in pain as a little bit of blood presented itself from the glass that shattered on him.

*Gasp* "Lincoln! Are you alright?" Lynn Sr spoke in a worried tone, to which Lincoln replied with a shrug. Lynn Sr then grabbed his head as he noticed the damage. "And my window!"

Rita was the first and only to rush over to Lincoln to pick him up and dust the glass off his clothes. She needed to get some bandages for the small cuts he had in the back of his scalp as well. "Are you sure sweetie." Rita spoke in a caring, motherly tone.

Before Lincoln could reply, Lynn Sr let out another gasp as he saw the wooden pieces of one of his most prized possessions in his life laying on the floor.

"My highschool graduation picture!" Lynn Sr went to his knees and picked up the broken frame that held his youthful face along with dozens of other colleagues he shared his four years with, possibly even longer. He let out a small sigh in relief seeing that it was alright, but for the frame he was not to happy for.

"Kids! On the couch now!" Lynn Sr barked as he saw the sisters rush to sit on the couch. He ignored Lincoln since he knew that his mother was currently taking care of his wounds.

Lynn Sr paced back and fourth in front of them holding his picture in one hand, and the destroyed frame in the other. "Now look, I can look past your rowdiness in this house at times. I can even look past when you guys get out of hands with your experiments, your dress-ups, your loud music, your constant texting, your over excessive pranks and so on!." He stopped with his hands by his sides as he stared at the nine sisters with a deep glare that made them all flinch. "But I can NOT, look past when you guys bring harm to your siblings!" He pointed to the state Lincoln was in. "And I can not look past you all almost destroying a precious part of my history." He lifted his picture up. "Now tell me, what do you all have to say for yourselves!"

The Loud sisters all looked between one another with shame, not knowing what to say to make this better.

Lynn Sr tapped his foot impatiently waiting for someone to speak up. When he got the picture that no one was going to do so, he decided that it was time for punishment to be established. "Since not a single one of you would give me an explanation, you all shall be punished for your actions. Whoever started this mess shall be sent to a disciplinary boot camp for one month. No exceptions!"

"Boot camp?!" Luna said in shock.

"Oh come on dad, none of us meant for this to happen!" Lynn continued.

"I know you all never meant for this to go this far." Lynn Sr crossed his arms. "But I've had enough of you all causing havoc in this house! So tell me who started it or I'll send you all to boot camp for the remainder of summer!"

"Honey, dear." Rita spoke. "Don't you think this punishment is too excessive."

"Trust me sweetie." Lynn Sr replied. "I know what I'm doing." He turned his attention back to the sisters who began to nervously sweat on the outcome of this decision.

Lincoln couldn't help but nervously observe his sisters be stared down by their father. He didn't want any of them to be sent to boot camp. He heard stories of what they did to children like him down in places like that, and it scared him to no end to know that one of his sisters would be in that place and would come out as a different person forever. He didn't want that for them, no matter how many times they got on his bad side throughout the years, nothing would stop him from letting any of his sisters go through a month of that hell hole.

Lynn Sr sighed seeing that nobody wasn't going to say anything. "Fine, if that's how it's going to be then all of you will be sent to-"

"I did it."

Lynn Sr along with the rest of the family looked at Lincoln with surprise. " _You_ did it Lincoln?" He asked thinking he heard what he said wrong.

Lincoln hesitated for a second, but another look at his sisters fearful eyes made all of that disappear in an instant. "Yes dad." He nodded. "I did it. I broke the picture and shattered the window. It was all me."

Lynn Sr stood silent for a second. "I see then. Well then Lincoln, if you so happened to be the one that caused this I want you to go to your room and start packing. You'll be leaving when the sun peaks over the horizon tomorrow morning."

"But-"

"No buts Lincoln. It's time you and your sisters take full responsibility over your actions."

At this point Lincoln began to tear up as well as the rest of the sisters who was witnessing this first hand. Before he could start crying, Lincoln ran up the stairs to his room to not be seen as a vulnerable kid by his family.

Tears seeped out of the Loud sisters eyes as their brother ran upstairs away from them all. Lily, who didn't understand what was going on began to cry as she felt the devastation from her family.

"Lori, you and your sisters go to your rooms." Lynn Sr stated. "You're all grounded for a week."

As the children made their way upstairs quietly, Rita came and put her hand on her husbands shoulder. "Honey, I know you want to show them some discipline and all. But, don't you think this is too much?"

Lynn Sr put his left arm over his shoulder to grasp his wifes arm. "Sweetie, I know this may seem a little bit too harsh. But if we don't put our foot down and show them that they can't get away from everything, then they'll never be ready for the real world. You know how it's not as forgiving out there than with us."

"I know darling, I just hope this was the right choice for them." Rita wrapped her arms around her husband.

"I do to. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find a boot camp to send Lincoln away to for a month."

 _With Lincoln_

Lincoln laid on his bed, his stomach touching the sheets as he buried his head into his pillow. The front of his pillow was soaking wet showing that he's been crying his heart out for a few minutes. He sniffed before bringing himself into a sitting position and wiped the remaining tears off his eyes that made them look puffy and red. "I guess this is it." He thought.

Lincoln was about to get off the bed to start packing until he heard a creaking at the door.

"H-Hey Lincoln."

It was Luan.

"C-Can we come in?

Hearing that told Lincoln that there were others behind he door as well which made him put on a small smile. "U-Uh, yeah. Come on in."

Luan slowly opened the door to walk in, but as he did so the Lola and Lana both came rushing in to embrace their brother.

"L-Lincoln. Don't go." Lola choked as she buried her head in his chest. "I-I'm sorry that w-we got you in trouble. But please don't go."

"Yeah!" Lana agreed with through own tears. "I promise t-that we won't do anything that c-could get you in trouble anymore."

"Oh come here you two." Lincoln sadly spoke as he embraced the crying twins. He looked up to see everyone else slowly, but surely coming in.

Lucy sniffed as black eye-liner was dripping down her cheek. "W-why'd you do it?"

Luna had her arm covering her eyes clenching her fists. "You didn't have to do that bro. Y-you're the last p-person that deserves this and you know it."

Lincoln sadly smiled at them all. "But I couldn't let my sisters go through this. Besides, it was my fault in the first place for bringing dads photo down, so in a way I am responsible."

Lori, who was holding Lily in her arms looked down shamefully. "No it wasn't Lincoln." She began. "I'm the eldest out of all of us here. I'm the one that's s-supposed to look over all of you." Tears began to swell up in her eyes. "Y-y-yet I failed and got c-caught up in it myself. I'm a horrible big sister."

"It's fine Lori." Lincoln spoke. "Like I said before, the last thing I would ever want you all to go through is a hell hole like boot camp." He looked at everyone of them with teary eyes.

Lily reached her arms out to Lincoln making grabbing motions with her hands. "P-Poo poo." She sadly muttered.

Hearing Lily say that made Lincoln snap as tears began to rush out of his eyes once more. "O-Oh come here you guys." He opened his arms, making everyone huddle in for a group hug.

"Y-You better come back to us Linc." Lynn cried.

"I have an e-experiment I need you for sho I r-require your asshistance as soon as you c-come back." Lisa spoke. "Pleashe come back shoon Lincoln."

"Oh you guys." Lincoln cried. "I-I'll be back in no time. Y-you'll see. It's only a month right? B-By the time I'm back it'll never seem like I left in the first place."

"P-Promise us." Leni sobbed. "Promise us you'll be back in no time."

Lincoln sadly smiled. "I promise."

"Cross your heart?"

Lincoln held his fingers up and crossed his heart to seal the deal. "Cross my heart."

What they all didn't know, was that it was going to be promise that would never come true.

 _Flashback end_

* * *

Lincoln woke up to a continuous tapping on his shoulder. "W-wha?"

"Sarge, we're here." The driver spoke.

Lincoln looked out the window to see that they were now motionless in a parking lot. "Oh, I see."

The driver unfastened his seat belt and opened his door before stepping out of the vehicle. He walked towards Lincolns door before opening it, allowing him to step out as well. Lincoln put his cap back on and slipped on his silky white colored gloves that went along with his uniform.

The driver went to the rear of the SUV before opening the back door to retrieve out a black suitcase. He closed the door immediately after before walking to Lincoln and put it down next to him. "I guess this is where we part." The driver spoke.

"Yes, I believe it is." Lincoln replied.

The driver gave a salute, which Lincoln with his own as well. "Thank you for your service Master Sergeant, and may your life be a blessed one."

"As to you as well Corporal."

After the salute, the driver turned around before stepping back into the black SUV. He turned on the vehicle before driving out of the parking lot, and onto the streets heading back to HQ. Lincoln watched the vehicle depart until it disappeared behind a building. This was when Lincoln decided to take a look at the place where his driver dropped him off. He looked up and saw the sign of a boy with black hair burping what seems to be a burger, the sign read Burpin Burger.

Lincoln scoffed before chuckling lightly at the all to familiar burger joint. "Out of all places, I never thought I'd see you again first." Lincoln muttered to himself.

He picked up his suitcase before heading to the front door to order some food. As he came closer and closer, he began to lightly sing the song that gave Burpin Burger its popularity in Royal Woods.

 _Hungry y'all? Look no further_

 _Come on down to the burpin burger_

 _Grade B beef with special spice_

 _When it comes back up, it's twice as nice. [Burp_ ]

* * *

 _Inside the Burpin Burger_

 ** _Lori Loud_**

Lori Loud, at the age of 27 stood behind the counter of Burpin Burgers as a cashier. To her, she most likely figured herself to be the sister that failed the hardest in the family. Ever since Lincoln left for boot camp, things continued on a bit regularly as they used to when their brother was around. However, the moment they received news that they lost some of the children due to a mix up was when things began to rapidly change. She grieved for so long knowing that Lincoln was out there somewhere in whatever condition he was in. She could only hope he was healthy and safe, but hope can only bring so much comfort into your life until none could be provided any longer. She blamed herself believing that she should've been the one in Lincoln's place, that she should be missing and not him.

She spent nights on the phone with her beloved Bobby as he tried to comfort her with words. Saying that Lincoln was doing alright, that he's somewhere out there in good hands. The two talked over the phone so much that a few times they caught glimmers of sunlight beginning to shine in the distance, signifying that a new day has arrived. Hell, she could also remember Bobby sometimes falling asleep on her, which only made her smile even for the slightest before bidding him goodnight. But no matter how many hours they talked on the phone, she felt as if they began to slowly drift apart from one another relationship wise. And she knew deep down inside that Bobby was beginning to feel the same way. It was only a matter of time before they decided to end the relationship, and they did, two years after Lincoln's disappearance.

During those two years, Lori was also attending college and managed to barely graduate. But even with a two year College degree, that still didn't help get her a decent job. So now here she was, sitting behind the counters of Burpin Burgers taking orders for those who so happened to come by. Be it man or woman, single or taken, child or adult, ugly or cute, she took orders for them all.

She leaned forward on the counter, her right hand pressing up against her cheek as she began to think about her little brother. Whether she admitted it herself or not, she couldn't help but notice that she contained a type of love that made her mentality think if it was a healthy type of love between siblings. The familiar sounds of ringing filled her ears, notifying her that a customer has entered the Burpin Burgers premises, as well as breaking off whatever thoughts she was currently having about her brother. She pushed herself off the counter and looked over to where the new arrival has made its appearance. The first thing that caught her eye about this person was the uniform he was wearing, it made the man walking towards her look much more handsome in her eyes.

Lincoln just finished singing the Burpin Burgers theme song as he entered the building, a small smile was plastered on his face as he stepped into the foreign, yet familiar building he and his family loved to go to for burgers. He made eye contact with the cashier, only for his eyes to slightly widen on who he saw behind the counter.

"Lori?!" Lincoln inwardly yelled.

"Welcome to Burpin Burgers." Lori gave a friendly smile.."What would you like to order today?"

Lincoln blinked a few times before coming back to his senses. He cleared his throat with a small cougj before speaking. "Ah yes, may I get 26 burgers and 13 medium fries please?"

"Wow, why so many?" Lori exclaimed as she began placing his order down.

"I'm meeting up with my family, it's been quite a while since they last saw me so I thought to myself, why not bring back a few of our traditional favorite burgers."

"Aww, that's so thoughtful of you." Lori warmly smiled. "We also have a veterans discount if you're interested in saving a few bucks."

Lincoln shook his head. "No no, I'd like to readjust to a civilian lifestyle. So I don't want to be treated as someone more important."

"Are you sure? It's the least I can do for you."

He nodded to confirm his statement. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Well, alright I guess." She shrugged. "Your total is $98.65"

Lincoln pulled out two, one hundred dollar bills before handing it to Lori, which she then tried to give one of the hundred dollar bills back, only for Lincoln to shake his head.

"Keep the change. It's the least I can do." He smirked.

Lori scoffed in surprise before smiling, "Thank you." She spoke as she shoved the money into one of her tipping jars. "Your order will be ready in about ten minutes." She informed.

Lincoln nodded before going over to lean up against a wall that held a variety of sauces to go with your meal such as the common ketchup or mustard. As he did so, he watched as Lori went to the cooking area to assist some of her fellow co-workers prepare his order, and at times, catching her giving quick glances with interest in her eyes that desired to know more of him. Not that he didn't mind it of course, for he was also wondering what his sisters been up to the time he was away as well, and why someone like Lori was working in a place like this. He could only conclude that things went down south in her life which made him feel awful. His presence probably could've changed her for the better, but instead here she was working at minimum wage in this place for who knew how long.

Lori came back, holding about fourto-go bags in her hands as she placed them on the counter. "Your orders ready."

"That's great." Lincoln spoke as he went over and attempted to try to grab all of the bags, however since he was already carrying his suitcase it left him having a rather difficult time trying to carry six extra bags.

Lori saw this and couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "Having trouble?"

Lincoln halted his actions giving a sigh in defeat before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Y-yeah, I guess I haven't thought about this all the way through."

Lori smiled before reaching into her pocket and pulled out her keys. "Come on, my shift just ended about a minute ago so I can give you a lift."

"Really?!" He excitedly spoke. "I-I mean are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure." Lori replied. "Besides, I doubt a veteran would commit a crime against lil'ol me." She hummed.

With that, she grabbed a few of the bags before proceeding to head out the front door towards a blue van that Lincoln could only guess as the Vanzilla.

"It's a surprise that it managed to stay functional after ten years." Were the words that were going through Lincolns head.

As the two got in after placing everything in the back seat, she inserted the keys into the ignition and twisted it causing the engine to start.

"I live on Franklin Avenue, where do you live?" She questioned.

"Funny enough I live pretty close there."

"That's great." Lori smiled in relief. "So now I can just head home without using any extra gas." She gave a light press on the peddle to put it in motion.

"Sounds good to me." Lincoln replied as he leaned against the seat.

As they drove down the street, which slowly began to become dimmer signifying that night was coming upon them, Lincoln couldn't help but wonder how he was going to break the news to Lori and his family that the man before them their long lost brother/son.

* * *

 _Loud house residence_

Ten years its been since Lincoln disappeared from the life of the Loud family. Ever since then, you could say that it was never the same. The house where the eleven children and two parents reside never caused a loud commotion like they used to ever again. It was surprising for the neighborhood, after all this family was the one that brought life into the area. And ever since the only boy the family ever had, Lincoln Loud, disappeared ten years ago, there was little to no noise coming from the house or its residents.

Inside the Loud house, you could call the atmosphere quite gloomy. It seemed as if the family followed a certain routine every day, well at least the children did.

 ** _Leni Loud_**

Leni Loud, now at the age of 26 didn't do much in life. Sure she was noticed by the world for her taste of fashion and all by the images she posted of herself online. Even going so far by gaining tons of sponsors over the years as well. She worked so hard on her fashion career because she wanted to impress her little brother Lincoln when he returned, which she thought that he was taking a vacation somewhere. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months, which soon began to turn into years and she still heard no word about Lincoln or when he was coming back. After four years of waiting, her family finally told her the truth about Lincoln, that he most likely will never be coming back into their lives.

This crushed her spirits and left her in a deep state of depression. She locked herself in her and Lori's room for a few months not coming out unless it was to eat, use the restroom, or take a shower. Her skin also began to grow so pale from the lack of sunlight she let touch her skin. To her it may not have been as white as Lucy, but it was surely up there. All in all, she pretty much stopped everything she's ever loved and soon lost everything she's ever earned all because she lost the one person in her life she truly felt connected with.

"Lincoln." She muttered in her bed for like the billionth time in her life. "Please come home." She curled up into a ball, bringing her knees up to her chest as she thought of her brother.

 ** _Luna Loud_**

Luna, now at the age of 25 was a rather complicated one. Before her world crashed, before she felt so empty, before she lost the only brother she could ever love in her life, she felt as if she had it all. Looking back at it, she agreed in her head she had it all. But now, even though she was widely known in Royal Woods and the neighboring towns within a hundred mile radius for her musical talents, she felt as if she lost it all. And no matter how many cheers, or smiles, or demands for an encore she received from dozens and dozens of fans around the state. The only thing she could here were the emptiness of her life leaving an eternal void in her heart and the music she played. She never once again strummed a single tune that relating to rock or giving off the vibe of the genre, but to sing the words her lifeless heart were trying to convert into a beat, a rhythm, a sound that has never been heard of before.

She sat in her and Luans room the two continued to share over the years, knowing all too well she could've moved out a long time ago with the amount she made every time she went to perform. But the thought of drifting away from the room that last held his presence just down the hall, she couldn't help but feel as if she was leaving the real Luna Loud behind. So she stayed, usually sitting in her room with her acoustic guitar she bought when she turned seventeen to softly strum soft and melodic tunes. They say you could channel your feelings into the sound of music, but no matter how many times she tried to express her feelings through her instrument, nothing came close to the amount of grief she felt when thinking of her brother.

Her fingers shakily moved along the metal alloy she used for the instrument, the noise coming out choppy and without any rhythm to it. She stopped her strumming seeing as she couldn't even play, and with that she brought her guitar closer to wrap her body around it and let her tears express her feelings as she lay on her bed without a sound.

"Where are you little bro?" She muttered in a rugged voice.

 ** _Luan Loud_**

At the age of 24, Luan lost touch of her comedic personality long ago, well too herself that is. Just like Luna, she goes out a few nights a week to perform by telling jokes, doing skits, or retell a hilarious event that happened in her life. And although her fans love her humor and being known by almost half the nation for her taste in comedy, she never exactly laughed at her jokes or felt humored by them at all. But if others did find it humorous while being able to provide her a wealthy life to live, then she thought to herself, "What the heck." Might as well try to get somewhere in life instead of locking yourself in your room. So she continued to tell jokes that she figured the audience would enjoy, and to her luck they actually took the bait.

She remembered looking at herself in the mirror and trying to make herself laugh to somehow get a taste of the reason of why she started her career as a comedian in the first place, but to no luck she never felt that way about the subject ever again.

Instead of being in the same room with Luna, she sat on the floor in the room of her beloved brother that she last saw so many years ago. Oh how she wished for his return and hear his laugh and groans on her cheesy jokes. She'd give everything up just to see that smile one more time, to hear his laugh and compliment her on humor. Such thoughts sent tingles down her spine and made her chest heavy. She brought her knees up to her chest as she leaned on the soft, unused mattress that sat there without having anyone sleep on it for a decade. She thought long and hard about the days she just wished would come back to.

Luan glanced around the room, noticing the dust that picked up over the years over the neglect of being cleaned. It's been a sort of taboo to touch anything in this room, let alone clean it, for she could still smell the tiny traces of Lincolns scent on pieces of unwashed laundry, or from the bed that her head was currently laying on. It was a taboo to touch anything, but it was also a safe haven for her to come and think of the past. It wasn't only a safe haven for her though, sometimes she walked in on Luna, Lynn, Lori, even Leni sitting down in the middle of the room. Come to think of it, she walked in on everyone in here before. Even Lily who couldn't remember anything about Lincoln, but was as curious as any child ever was to try to gain a little detail of who the brother she never got to know was. There were even at times where the ten of them sat in this room and recall on the memories they had with Lincoln, those were sad yet beautiful memories they all gain with together that managed to bring them closer together.

Having enough of sitting on the floor for hours, Luan got to her feet before heading out the door. She took one last look at the lifeless room that carried so many memories of their brother before gently closing the door.

 _ **Lynn Loud**_

Lynn, now at the age of 23 is head of the Royal Woods Health and Athletics Center for Children and Teenagers. It made complete sense that she took on a career such as this over her huge interest in sports. She took a major role in schools to teach the younger ones way to improve their physical capacity, especially the female population since at times it seemed as if they never put as much effort as the males did. Not saying that was the case for every female child, at times she caught a few of them actually besting their male companions in many sports which caused a chain of rivalry between the two genders. She laughed inwardly when she went to inspect one school with their PE classes and sports teams they had, only to see the boys and girls always competitively going against each other. But at times what really made her proud was when she sometimes threw an obstacle ahead of them that they couldn't accomplish alone and had to help each other to overcome the path in their way.

One day she caught a girl picking on a boy, not in a bullying type of way, but in a way that reminded her deeply about her relationship with Lincoln. She felt joy run through her eyes as she witnessed this and couldn't help but smile, but as she looked on she felt something wet flow down her cheeks. She wiped whatever was on them off only to realize she was crying, but whether she was sad or happy she couldn't tell. Ever since Lincoln disappeared, she buried herself deep into a daily routine of sports and enhancing her physical capacity and stamina to a new level. She never forgot about Lincoln, but when she buried herself deep into something like this she had no time to find herself crying in some corner. So why was she crying now? Out of regret for Lincoln to be the one to go through this? For not showing too much affection to her brother when he disappeared? Or was it something else? She had no idea what it was, but she understood one thing out of all.

She wanted her little brother back.

 ** _Lucy Loud_**

Lucy Loud, now at the age of 18 has just graduated from high school a few months ago. If you all thought she was gloomy and quiet ten years ago, well then this just put her on an entirely new level. She rarely talked to anyone back then besides a sentence or two, but now you'll be lucky enough to get even three words. She held a deep hatred to her father for sending away Lincoln, and still held onto that grudge to this day. She knew that her sisters felt the same way about their dad, but she felt as if she hated him to a new level. There were times when she caught herself standing next to her father asleep late at night holding a knife in her hand.

She wanted to get rid of the person that took away the last source of happiness in her life so much. She nearly went through with it a few times. Even though the opportunity showed itself to her countless of times to finally rid of her dad, their was the nagging feeling in the back of her head that wouldn't let her. It sounded like a voice a lot like her brother that always managed to stop her from fulfilling her desire. To try and subside her growing thoughts for a bloody, and nasty revenge on her father, she began writing poems to a much longer, detailed, and mournful of her brothers affect on her. Even going as far as wishing for him to be his destined partner for life, for which she halted her thoughts and began wondering what did Lincoln mean to her? Did she really see him as a brother? Or perhaps... something more?

Whatever the case was, she only wished that a cure for her unending grief and enraged mind would come soon. Lucy shut her book after writing what she could only assume was her thousandth poem she wrote about her feelings for Lincoln, she stayed in the corner of her bed wondering where would she go from here on out in life. And hopefully, it would make her once again know the small amounts of joy she felt when she was younger.

 ** _Lola Loud_**

Lola, now at 16 years of age attending her Junior year in High School. Her obsession with beauty has drained a lot since she was at the age of six. She never tried to make her stand out of the crowd with her passion of make-up, instead she saw herself as an average girl in her classes, not too pretty or too ugly, just the right amount to make herself look... normal in her case. But no matter how many times she's done so, others her age and maybe a decade older saw her as one of the most beautiful women in the world. In fact, she remembered two years ago they once begged her to join a beauty pageant, which after weeks of them bugging her she eventually gave in. So she joined, and much to her dismay she actually won. Her family came along to support her that day, thinking that she was a coming back to her normal self when she was a child. After she got her trophy, and surprisingly a ten thousand dollar scholarship for any school she wished to go to when she graduated, the host for the event came up to her and asked her if there were anything she'd like to say. And without hesitation, she spoke into the microphone that she didn't care about anything she's won today, and that if there was anything she'd ever like as a reward was for her brother to come home. And with that she left the stage, dropping her trophy and abandoning the scholarship she's won.

Not a day in her life has she went a day without thinking of her older brother, wondering where he would've been at his time of life if she and her sisters never acted so childish. Not that she could've blame herself much, well she did in a way, but she was six years old for gods sake! She didn't know any better, and she wondered how her elder sisters didn't do anything over it as well. They just jumped in the wagon like they were still elementary school students that didn't know much.

She and her sister Lana walked home everyday ever since their start of school in Junior High. They just wanted it to be that way she thought to herself, spending the alone time with her twin sister either in silence or talking about any drama that happened in school was something to keep themselves from going crazy. And dare they say it, but being together had probably kept them sane throughout the years. She, along with her sister Lana sat in their room completing their daily homework while she silently hoped that this nightmare would soon come to an end.

 ** _Lana Loud_**

Also at the age of 16 like her twin sister Lola, Lana became a skilled mechanic as well as taking a huge passion for animals. In fact, if it wasn't for Lana always doing constant upgrades to the Vanzilla, the old van would've probably been scrapped about four years ago. She often helps around the town repairing anything that needs to be fixed/replaced. Not only that, but Lana also took a part time job down in an animal shelter to assist the local animals on getting healthy and hopefully, find a loving family that'll adopt them. To sum it up, she's pretty happy on where her life was headed

But just as the rest of her family, she as well fought her demons when Lincoln was lost. She grieved for her brother and for a long time, wanted nothing but to see him come home. The damage from Lincolns absence held her back from reaching her full potential as a human being. She watched her sisters one by one lose track of their goals in life over the loss of their brother, and to think that after ten years of grieving they'd pull themselves back together and push forward in life, after all that's what Lincoln would want... right? All she knew was that she refused to fall deep down in a hole that led her nowhere in life like a few of her sisters have let consume them. It's not like she never cared about Lincoln, she missed him as deeply as everyone else who was close to the white haired boy. But the only difference between her and everyone else was that she didn't let the pain consume her. And so she pushed on. Praying every night that Lincoln would one day return to them all.

That's if, he wasn't already dead.

 ** _Lisa Loud_**

The 14 year old child prodigy of the Loud family. The girl who pretty much knew it all from how physics work, to astronomy, and so on! Her intelligence in her life couldn't be more perfect. She continued to stay in her current grade like other kids her age would most likely still be in, but as expected her smarts far outmatched everyone in the specific grade and school. She's received requests from basically every college campus known in the United States and the world daily, some of them also attempting to bribe her by saying that they'll be the ones paying for all her classes, and pay her a weekly salary as well just to attend their school. Some even sending money or written checks through the mail to let her know they were serious.

She declined them all clearly but kept the money for materials she wished to purchase for experiments she wishes to work on later on when she finds the time. She's done some extraordinary things in her last ten years though. She's helped conduct better ways to have areas with little to no nutrition in their soil or any possible way of growing food to be able to sustain the fruits and vegetables life in their soil. Places like the Sahara Desert shrunk in a vast rate to be used as a place to grow crops for people around, and thus solved the issues such as world hunger and obesity from humans not eating the right foods from the lack of healthy, nutritional meals.

Like her sister Lucy, Lisa was quite distant with people and always studied to conduct new possibilities to benefit human life and mother earth. But she didn't spend as much time with those ideas because she's been working on a machine that'll hopefully tell her where her brother was currently at. She took some DNA samples from Lincolns room, such as a few strands of hair that was surprisingly still lying around and kept it in a bag for testing.

After finishing her machine, Lisa turned on her creation before taking strands of hair she had and placed it on a small metallic platform for analyzing. The machine did its job and scanned the item that was placed before it. Lisa picked up a small digital screen much like a tablet and looked at the results of her machine.

 ***Searching... Searching... Searching***

It felt like it took forever before it managed to pinpoint a location.

*Search Complete*

Lisa impatiently waited for the results to display itself on the screen, after another few seconds of waiting it did which made her drop her screen in surprise.

"Royal Woodsh, Michigan?" Lisa muttered before groaning in annoyance. "Damn thing is malfunctioning on me." She kicked her machine lightly in annoyance.

She hopped onto her bed, exhausted after years of work on the results of her creation before closing her eyes. "Where are you, Lincoln?" She muttered quietly.

 _ **Lily Loud**_

At the age of 11, the age Lily was told when her brother was sent away and never came back. Lily was a child with a miraculous heart. She was very thoughtful of others, always going out of her way to help anyone with what they need. At one point in her life her mother told her that she acted a lot like Lincoln with a teary smile which confused her greatly.

"Who was Lincoln?" She thought to herself when she first heard that name when she was only seven years old.

Come to think of it, she noticed that her family was always on the downside of life. I guess seeing that made her take the exact opposite effect and made her extremely joyful and understanding. And to hear her say that she was similar to some person she's never known her life brought a lot of questions for her young mind.

She remembered going to her older sister Luna and ask her about this Lincoln person. She also noticed that the moment she spoke the persons name made her tense for a second. That was the first time she's saw one of her sisters react that way, much less when she saw her become all shaky while tears slowly seeped out of her eyes. At this point she began panic chanting sorry over a dozen times, hoping that she wasn't going to be angry at her.

She remembered Luna wiping her eyes and said it was no big deal before explaining to her who Lincoln was. When she began, she eagerly listened and was shocked that she had a brother! Can you believe it? A brother she's grown up not knowing that actually existed! Luna continued to explain to her that the door at the end of the hall, the one that everyone told her to never go inside was actually his room before the tragic mix-up that lead to his disappearance.

When she heard that, she felt like she had to cry. She felt obligated to cry. But crying over someone you never got to know as a person was difficult to do. And in a way she felt rather guilty for not doing so. But with that new information in her head, that only made her want to become like her brother more than ever, to at least carry on his memory in some way he'd hopefully see fit if he was still alive somewhere out there.

And after being told what was behind that door, it made her curiosity as a child grow 10x fold to at least know a bit about her brother. So she did, a year later when she turned 8 years old. She sneakily went into the room that last held the brother she's never got to know. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she looked around and noticed how dusty the room was. She picked up what seemed to be an old picture frame on the counter and saw that it was a family picture of his sisters, but then she noticed the unfamiliar white haired boy in the middle of it. She could only guess that this person was her brother, and she looked nothing like she thought he was at her age.

But that was ten years ago right? So surely he's changed a lot by then. That's when Lily spotted a stack of dusty magazines sitting at the other end of the counter. She picked up the one at the very top before blowing it to get rid of the dust that covered the title.

"Ace Savvy."

She remembered muttering those words. In fact, that was the first time she's seen a comic book with such art and heroic looking figures. That made her pick up an interest that forever changed her life. She began to draw. She drew sketches, she drew her house, she drew her living room, she drew cartoon characters, she drew herself as well as sisters and parents. She was a talented drawer, and that only made her get much more attention from school over the new talents she's discovered. But she wanted to try something else, something that she would have to come up from the deepest part of her imagination. That's when her mind clicked. And she began to draw. She began to draw the one person who would remain a mystery to her unless she saw him in person.

She began to draw her brother

 ** _Lynn Sr and Rita Loud_**

The parents of the Loud family couldn't be in an any more depressing state than what they were currently in, much of it taking its affect on Lynn Sr than Rita.

Rita sat on the bed with Lynn Sr for what seemed like the millionth time comforting him over the tragedy that happened long ago. Even to this day, it knocked out all of Lynn Sr's confidence on being a father ever since he sent his son away. All of her daughters besides Lily hated him deeply for his decision, and it shattered him to the core that they all viewed him this way. Their interactions couldn't be more dull, and their conversations never more empty.

"I miss him so much honey." Lynn Sr choked as Rita rubbed his back soothingly.

"I know darling, me too." She replied softly. "We all do."

At one point Rita hated her husband just as much as her daughters for sending her baby boy away. She wanted nothing more than to throw him out, but what good would that be for the family in their current state? So instead of hating him, she grieved with him. It was hard for her to forgive him for his actions, but she knew that she still loved her husband deeply. And at this point she as well as Lily were the only two walls that were keeping this family together.

"I just wish, I'd have done something else entirely." Lynn Sr continued through his tears. "Maybe grounded him for two months instead of one like his sisters."

"It's no use to cry about the past honey." Rita continued. "It'll just be harder for all of us, let go of your pain."

"I-I wish I could." He looked up to his wife with teary eyes. "But I was the reason that he's... he's."

Rita put her finger on her husbands lips, halting his broken sentence. "No, don't say it." She whispered. "Lincoln's a strong child that was raised by a strong and caring father. So don't you dare think that he's buried ten feet below underground. If anything, I know he's out there fighting to come home."

Rita kept her arms around her husband as she looked over her shoulder out the bedroom window that provided the only source of light to emit in their room.

"You'll see." She muttered.

* * *

It was currently 7:42PM, and by this time the town was being emitted by a yellowish color by the setting sun which would surely be gone by the next twenty or so minutes. The Vanzilla drove up on to the driveway before the engine came to a silence letting Lincoln and Lori know that the vehicle was now off.

"Well, here we are." Lori stated before stepping out of the Vanzilla, shortly followed by Lincoln.

"Wow!" Lincoln spoke in awe, overcomed by this long lost sense familiarity and the feeling of home.

Lori giggled at Lincoln, his expression reminded her of a child that got his first toy. "Well you seem to be enjoying the view."

Lincoln blinked his eyes a few times before flushing a bit. He smiled at Lori slightly as he the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hehe, sorry. It just looks nice."

Lori raised an eyebrow, slightly taken back by his claim. "Really? I never really thought of it that way. To me it was just... home, I guess." She looked at her home where she currently lived with eleven other people before looking back at Lincoln.

"Come on, I'll help you grab your things."

Lincoln slowly began to grow nervous with every step Lori took to the back seat of the Vanzilla. He knew at some point he had to say something to make her bring him inside. But what could he say?

"Hey Lori, I'm Lincoln your long lost brother, lets go inside an catch up on our lives?" He sarcastically thought.

That's when it hit him. "The envelope!" He thought.

As Lori reached for the door, Lincoln spoke up, disrupting her from continuing.

"E-Excuse me Lo... I mean, Ma'am." Lincoln began, mentally high fiving himself for stopping himself from slipping her name. He didn't want her to question him since he knew that they never fully introduced themselves to each other.

Lori turned to Lincoln just in time to see him pull an envelope out from under his uniform.

"I noticed that you live in this address, 1216 Franklin Avenue correct?"

"Uuuuh... yeah?" Lori confirmed in a wary tone. "Why do you wish to know that."

"Well, you see." Lincoln began. "I have a letter directed to this address and was sent to deliver it before I go home."

"Okay? ...who's it from?"

"I... Don't know." He lied. "I was asked to read it to you as well as to your family."

Lori silently stood for a bit, pondering if she should invite him in or not. "Sure. She answered before gesturing him to follow her. "Follow me."

Lori approached the front door before opening it, allowing herself to step inside. Lincoln shortly followed behind and closed the door.

"You can sit down on the couch. I'll get call everyone down." She spoke before walking upstairs.

Lincoln sat on the couch and gazed around the room in deep thought. "What have I gotten myself into." He shifted nervously on the couch, pondering about the next words he should say to the family when they come.

From upstairs, he could hear knocks followed by muffling voices which could only be considered to be Lori speaking to her sisters/parents. However, it seems that once and awhile Lori spoke with someone that took twice as long than she did with the others. Probably because one of the sisters refused to come, which she then continued to argue with them until they eventually gave in. Whatever the case was, every new voice he heard made him get more and more anxious on how he was going to introduce himself, and he new that with every second going by, the closer and closer he began to come to the inevitable. And no sooner than that, he began to hear the sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs which made him stand and straighten his uniform before turning back to look at who he was going to get a glimpse of first. His eyes brightened with joy as he saw his sisters come down one by one. First it was Luna, followed by Lola, Luan, Lucy, Lana, Lori, Leni, Lynn, Lisa, and then his mom and dad. The last person to come down caught his attention the most though, she's young, really young. Probably around ten years old, the only logical thought that came to his head was that this beautiful young child was her youngest sister Lily Loud. The sight of her broke his heart as he realized that he wasn't there to see her grow up.

Such thoughts of Lily soon dissipated as he noticed the expressions his sisters and parent had. Even though they eye'd him curiously, he could still see the emptiness within them.

"Good evening, I can assume you two are Mr and Mrs Loud correct?" Lincoln spoke as he watched everyone take a seat on the couch or another piece of furniture nearby before averting his gaze to his parents. They were all too old now to be sharing one seat with each other.

"Um, yes we are." Lynn Sr replied slightly wary of this man. "I'm sorry, but, who are you?"

"My name is not of importance at the moment. But I will say that all your questions will be answered with this letter." He once again held up the envelope before he began to tear it from the corner.

"Who's it from?" Rita questioned.

"I'm not too sure myself" Lincoln slightly shook his head.

"Well get on with it." Lucy surprisingly spoke.

This action brought curious glances to the goth woman before settling back on Lincoln.

Lincoln couldn't help but hear the venom in Lucys tone. "These past years must've been hard on her." He thought before taking out the letter from within the envelope.

Once he opened it up, he cleared his throat before proceeding to read. "Dear Mom, Dad, and to my dearest sisters." He began before pausing to take a quick glance at his family to view there reaction.

So far, they all seem to express confusion. After that, he looked back onto the words of his paper before continuing.

"After all these years, I dread to guess of what you may all think of me after knowing the inhumane acts I committed. I don't wish to bring shame, or dishonor upon our family's name, but in moments like these, it leaves very little options for myself as well as my brothers and sisters in arms. At this point, I'm sure you all may be confused on who may be writing this letter to you all, or maybe you all have figured it out by now. Oh, who am I kidding. It's been nearly ten years since I was sent to a disciplinary boot-camp."

"...no, no it can't be."

Those were the first words Lincoln heard, but he dared not to look up. For he knew that seeing their eyes now full of dejection and realization would only make things harder for him.

"So I'll start with this." He proceeded once more. "The place where my journey as a human being began, and where the name I was first given when I was only a baby being held in the arms of my loving mother, and being watched over and protected by a caring father." He took a deep breath, knowing that these next few words would forever change his life once more.

"The destined name I was blessed with and refused to give up no matter the torture I went through was none other, than Lincoln Loud."

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **Aaaaaaand CLIFFHANGER!**

 **I love building up the suspense. :3 It makes you all so annoyed with a need for more and would make you all do the unthinkable to get at least a sneek-peek on the next chapter.**

 **Before I go, this story has been given consent to be rewritten by Devumaru, the glasses wearing kitty him/herself. So if ya want to fight me over it, then PUT EM UP!**

 ***cough still plagiarism cough***

 **Okay, I'm done here. Thank you all for reading, feedback/criticism would great.**

 **And as always! I'll see you guys, when I see you guys.**

 **PEACE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Howdy my fellow fanfiction lovers whether you're a reader or writer. you're all fine in my books! :D Well, unless you do or say something to piss me off. :3 But besides that, thank you all who responded to the first chapter of my story.**

 **Now, before I start, I'd like to say to that instead of following certain ideas like the original thought out story created by Devumaru, I'm wanting to focus more on what Lincoln went through his past ten years of absence, meaning that Lincoln will most definitely encounter and grow up with OC's that'll grow to become like family to him. How am I going to do this? Well, that question will be answered by the most intelligent kid in this story.**

 **So yeah, I'll be taking more of a different path than Devumaru on this one and would hopefully come up with different and enjoyable plots to dig your heads in for a bit. If you don't, well I don't care. :3 Not that you care of what I care of how you are feeling because you know, who _cares_ hehe.**

 **But anyways, enjoy the story.**

 **By the way, to that one reader who said "Please don't let this be Loudcest."**

 **Ahem... LOUDCEST! :D Or not, I have three ways I might want this to unravel itself, one being with Loudcest, second in a way it's kind of Loudcest but then again it's kinda not in this fanfiction world and the final way isn't actually at all. I'll decide on the decisions later, or maybe if you'd guys like I can post a poll on the three ways you guys want this story to be like.**

 **But anyways...**

 **On with story**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 _Previously on What's Left, When All Seems Lost?_

 _Once he opened it up, he cleared his throat before proceeding to read. "Dear Mom, Dad, and to my dearest sisters." He began before pausing to take a quick glance at his family to view there reaction._

 _So far, they all seem to express confusion. After that, he looked back onto the words of his paper before continuing._

 _"After all these years, I dread to guess of what you may all think of me after knowing the inhumane acts I committed. I don't wish to bring shame, or dishonor upon our family's name, but in moments like these, it leaves very little options for myself as well as my brothers and sisters in arms. At this point, I'm sure you all may be confused on who may be writing this letter to you all, or maybe you all have figured it out by now. Oh, who am I kidding. It's been nearly ten years since I was sent to a disciplinary boot-camp."_

 _"...no, no it can't be."_

 _Those were the first words Lincoln heard, but he dared not to look up. For he knew that seeing their eyes now full of dejection and realization would only make things harder for him._

 _"So I'll start with this." He proceeded once more. "The place where my journey as a human being began, and where the name I was first given when I was only a baby being held in the arms of my loving mother, and being watched over and protected by a caring father." He took a deep breath, knowing that these next few words would forever change his life once more._

 _"The destined name I was blessed with and refused to give up no matter the torture I went through was none other, than Lincoln Loud."_

 _Currently_

Lincoln gulped the lump that clogged his throat once he spoke his name. He opened his mouth to continue reading his year old letter, but never got the chance to.

"W-What!" Lynn eyes widened with a jolt. "Y-You're shitting me." She looked at her sisters who was eyeing one another as well in disbelief before turning back to Lincoln. "You're lying!" The venom in her tone could be heard.

"Lynn, dear." Rita spoke trying to sooth her daughter. "Calm down-"

"If I was lying then how did I say _his_ name out of every possible name out there?" Lincoln replied, not taking his eyes off the paper.

Lynn took a second to think about it before she looked down, disheartened and was feeling a rise of shame. "Is... Is he-"

"Dead?" He finished her sentence. "No, he's not." Lincoln finally took his eyes off the paper to gaze at his family's eyes. "He's doing quite well actually."

Lynn Sr jumped to his feet hearing that. "You know where he is?" He spoke in an almost demanding tone.

"I-"

"Tell me!" He rose his voice. "Goddammit tell me right now where he's being kept or I will slam you out the door without evening opening it." He threatened in a fit desperation and rage.

The sisters gazed at there father in surprise for they never seen this side of him before. He looked so strong, so demanding, so protective in their eyes. In a way, they couldn't help but feel their respect coming back for their father at this point.

"Mr. Loud." Lincoln spoke. "If you'd just sit and listen to what this letter has to say, I assure you all that you will find the answers you seek."

Lynn Sr glared at the man he still had no idea was his son. He felt a hand grasp his arm making him look back to see Rita watching him with a concerned gaze causing him to sigh. "Alright." He answered before sitting down next to his wife once more.

Lincoln lightly smiled before looking at his letter once more and proceeded to read. "Surprisingly, I still remember hearing those words. I believe my name was probably the first things I've ever heard. Which not to surprisingly, to a sudden realization I came to wonder, who was Lincoln Loud? When I was sent away, I remember looking in the mirror one day and questioned my very existence, questioned who I was and who I was suppose to become? Was I the eleven year old kid surrounded by the most beautiful and amazing sisters one could ask for with a loving father and mother."

At this point, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, and Lisa lightly flushed at his compliment as tears began to swell in their eyes thinking of their brother sitting down and pouring his heart out on this piece of paper that would probably be the only connection they'll have with him until the next one.

"Or am I this... this... I can't bring myself to say it. So I'll just move on." Lincoln lightly sniffed. "I just wanted to let you all know that, not a day goes on in my life where I never thought of each and every one of you back home. I always wonder how you all been holding up, and how's Lily doing I wonder? She should be like, ten years old by now? Wow, I can't believe she grew up, and I wasn't there to watch it happen. What a big brother I came out to be huh? I don't think she even knows who I am or if she even has a brother at all. Well, I can't blame her I guess."

Lincoln paused once more to take another breath, by then he could hear his family begin to sniffle a bit. But regardless, he continued. He knew he had to say these words, and he knew that they had to listen to him.

"I don't want to go into huge detail, so I'll say this part quickly. When I was sent to a disciplinary boot-camp, I surprisingly didn't get sent home by the end of the month like promised. No, instead I as well as a few individuals I came to see as friends, hell possibly even family now that I think about it, were sent away to a Military Boot-Camp. From what I remember, it was something about, _training these young children to be the finest men and women the military has ever seen_ , or something along the signs of that. it wasn't like we were sworn in the moment we were sent there. We still had the option to fully join by the age of 17 or be sent back home."

"Then, why didn't he come home when he was 17?" Lana choked.

Lincoln ignored her question, knowing that it'll be answered shortly. "Now, you all may be wondering why I didn't come home by then. Well, you see. I sort of enlisted myself to join the United States Marine Corps. Now, you guys may think that I was crazy for doing that."

"You're damn right bro." Luna sniffed letting out a small chuckle as she wiped her eyes with her arm.

"But, In all honesty. I felt so lost after spending almost 6 years in what you could call basic training. I was overwhelmed by such a routine that, I lost myself. And because of that, I wanted to find myself again. I joined along side seven others who spent six years with me in military boot-camp, and later they became my squad. I don't know why they joined with me when they could've finally went home, but I guess it was because we were all inseparable. So we joined and soon went into basic training for three more months to be considered actual Marines."

Leni huddled her legs close onto her chest. "So he's still gone." She thought

"And so now here I am, in the midst of a cold, and chilly storm half way across the world hunting down a terrorist group holding something valuable that my leaders view as a global threat, to not only our country, but the allies we've forged bonds with as well. I have been in Somalia a week now, safe, and in high spirits... but prepared for the worst. The men and women who have fed me and sheltered me and my friends here, also give me warning that the roads to our destination are overrun by mercenaries and bandits, not native to this land. But this could mean, I dread to guess. When I first set out from America ten months ago, I did so with a single purpose; To find what our comrades could not. A letter written a year before my birth makes mention of a sanctuary hidden beneath the stones of an old castle. A sanctum full of invaluable wisdom. So what will we find when we arrive there? ...who will greet us? A host of eager bandits as I fear more strongly, or nothing but the whistling of a cold and lonely wind. This place hasn't been home to any human life for over three hundred years now. Can we still claim it as our own? Are we welcomed there? Ah, I am wary of this fight you all. Not because I am tired, but because our struggle, seems to move in one direction only; Towards chaos. Today, I have more questions than answers. This is who I've come so far. To find clarity. To find the wisdom left behind by our great ancestors, so that I may better understand the purpose of our fight, and my place in it."

There was a short pause after that. Lincoln did so on purpose to let these words sink slowly in to them so they wouldn't feel overwhelmed with every spoken word he says. Not only for that reason alone, but he as well began to start feeling emotional as he noticed the weakening tone of his voice

"Should anything happen to me you all, should my skills fail me, or my ambition lead me astray; do not seek retribution or revenge in my memory, but fight to continue the search for truth. So that all may benefit, my story is one of many thousands. And the world will not suffer, if it ends too soon." He gulped, feeling his voice beginning to crack when he spoke. "Yours truly, Lincoln Loud."

All was quiet after, the family sat in silence as tears begin to fall at a faster rate. Everyone was pretty emotionally devastated at this moment, including Lily who couldn't help but let a tear crawl down her eyes. Even if she didn't know her brother at all, she could still feel the power behind his words as well as the affect it had on their now fragile hearts.

"Th-There's gotta be more r-right?" Luan shriveled up. "That couldn't be it."

Lincoln sniffed, his eyes now beginning to redden up as he felt tears in the back of his eyes. "U-Um, unfortunately that letter was written a year ago and-"

"A year ago?!" Lori shouted, standing up in shock and anger. "Why the hell didn't you guys deliver it sooner then! Do you even realize how much the absence of his presence tore our family apart!" She stated without hesitation nor embarrassment because she knew everyone living under the same roof felt the same way.

"I-"

"Of course you don't know! After all, you guys didn't even bother informing the family that their long lost sibling was found." She growled, refusing to wipe away the strands of liquid coming down her eyes. "We love him so, so much! And you guys knew we did, yet you said nothing. NOTHING!"

What happened next surprised her as well as everyone in the room. The person before them took of his hat before placing it on the counter and went down to his knees, his head bent forward touching the carpet with his... white... hair.

"I'm sorry." He spoke. "I-I'm so sorry I didn't contact you all of how I was doing earlier." He whimpered. "I'm sorry for not celebrating the past ten birthdays with you all, or watching over Lily when all of you get caught up in important events. And I'm so sorry I destroyed ten years of your life."

"W-Wha-?" Lori took a step back, eyes widened as well as the rest of her family.

"I don't deserve to be called your brother and child, I don't deserve to be called Lincoln Loud!"

Leni brought her arms to cover her mouth as she began to feel a rush of emotions coming through. It felt as if a piece of her was finally placed in the hole that left her so lifeless and depressed. "L-Lincoln?"

She could see it now. No, THEY could see it now. After he took off his cap and exposed his trimmed white hair that was impossible to notice with his cap on. Leni was the first to get up from the couch and dropped to her knees in front of him. She picked him up and stared into his eyes that were red and filled with tears before wrapping her arms around him with her chin on his shoulders. "Y-You're back! You're finally back!" She cried.

By then, everyone besides Lily and the parents stood up and surrounded their brother before engulfing him in a complete family hug they never had in a decade. It was truly a sight to smile upon, and for the first time since they could all remember; the remaining sunlight outside seemed to have given them the warmth they all craved to feel in the house once more.

"I can't believe it." Lori pulled back. "S-So, you're telling me that the p-person I was speaking with for the past hour was none other than you, Lincoln?" She sniffed while wiping her tears once more with joy.

Lincoln felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but somehow rub his head sheepishly even when he was being crushed by all of his sisters. "Hehe, yeah. S-Sorry for not telling you sooner Lori."

"I should slap you for that you know." She managed to let out a light chuckle.

"Please don't." He replied, causing everyone to smile at the small humor.

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln looked up to see his mother, Rita with her hands covering her mouth in disbelief. "Hello, mother." He smiled as his sisters let go of him, allowing their mother to embrace her child in delight.

"My baby, m-my baby boy is home." She cried into his arms.

Lincoln was now taller than her mother and his sisters, perhaps as tall or a bit taller than his father who stood at 6'3. "Yeah." He warmly spoke. "I'm home, and I'll never leave again."

As his mother cried in his arms, he couldn't help but glance at his father who was gratefully eyeing him in delight and guilt.

"Hey, u-uh Lincoln." Lynn Sr pulled on his collar nervously, wondering how his son was going to feel seeing him again. "I-I... just wanted to say that I'm-"

"It's fine, I forgive you." He cut him off.

Lynn Sr's eyes widened slightly. "Wh-what?! B-But, Lincoln! I'm responsible for what happened to you, if I didn't send you away that day, you wouldn't have been missing!"

Lincoln tilted his head as he looked down to the floor in thought. "Well, in a way I can see how you're responsible." He paused a moment before looking at his father with a big heart-filled smile. "But you couldn't have possibly known what was going to happen back then. It wasn't your fault, it was the programs failure of keeping track of the children. Besides, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have met the few best friends I've ever made."

"I-" Lynn Sr shamefully looked away. "I don't know what to say. I can't even comprehend how you can even forgive me for what I did."

"Holding a grudge is a complete waste of my time, besides." He let got of his mother and walked up to his father to stand before him. "I'd like to reconnect as father and son if you wouldn't mind. Ten years can really put a strain on ones relationship."

Lynn Sr lightly smiled as he finally found the courage to look at his son directly in his eyes. "Yeah, I'd like that. That'll be great honestly."

The two stared at one another for another few seconds which felt like hours between the two before finally embracing each other in a loving hug.

"I missed you dad."

"I... I missed you to son. So much." He muttered.

The two stayed like that for a few more seconds before letting go, and by then Lincoln now laid his eyes on the last person he has yet greeted. When the two's eyes met, his smile brightened up significantly that made everyone around the room feel much more relaxed at his presence.

"Why hello." Lincoln spoke as he crouched to Lily's eye level. "You must be Lily, you know you sure have grown a lot since I last saw you, haven't you."

Lily blinked a few times staring at the person before her with curiosity. Her curious gaze soon began to shift into that of a smile. "Haaa!" She let out an awe as her eyes were filled with delight.

"So you're my big brother!" She tilted her head slightly which made her look cute in Lincolns opinion.

"Why yes, I am." He playfully bowed. "Lincoln Loud at your service, your highness."

Lily giggled, already taking interest in her brothers personality. "I like you." She spoke before shifting her feet around nervously. "Say, um. Do you mind if we can play together one of these days."

Lincolns eyes smiled faded turning into one of a person that was thinking really hard. "Hmmmmm." He put his finger on his chin in deep thought which slightly worried Lily that he was going to say no.

"Sure, I don't mind." Lincoln spoke as he opened his eyes while smiling once more.

"Yay!" Lily cheered as she hugged Lincoln. "You're the best big brother ever!"

Lincoln was taken aback at the way she suddenly threw herself on him, but as quickly as it came, it soon dissipated replacing it with that of a smile as he hugged her back.

Lynn Sr clapped his hands once bringing everyone's attention to him. "This calls for a feast!"

"Oh, I'm totally up for some grub." Lynn spoke.

"Same!" Luna agreed. "All this crying made me hungry. Plus we have to celebrate the return of our brother." She added.

"I'm way ahead of you all." Lincoln spoke. "I stopped by Burpin Burgers and picked us up some food to-"

The moment he said that, everyone besides Lori, Lynn, Rita, Lily, and Lynn Sr ran out of the house to the Vanzilla to grab the bags.

"Eat." Lincoln sighed.

The six soon began to hear bickering outside causing Lori to go check what was going on.

"You guys better not trash the Vanzilla dammit!" She yelled as she marched out the door.

Rita couldn't help but tear up seeing how the family was coming back to how they used to be. It still may not be perfect, but the once scar that was left on them all was finally doing the impossible and began to slowly fade away. Perhaps her real family, was finally coming home.

* * *

Lincoln threw himself on the couch after spending four hours catching up with his family while eating their food at the dinner table which was now bigger to fit all of them. As they ate, a storm soon appeared as they were all associating with one another in the kitchen with thunder and a huge amount of rain. After a while longer, Rita finally felt that it was getting late and wanted everyone to go to their rooms and sleep, which to no doubt was followed by a collective groan. Lola, Lana, Lisa, and Lily still had to go to school the following morning, but everyone else had to sleep as well because the noise of seven siblings staying up would surely prevent the other four from getting any sleep. He was gonna go unpack in his room, but the moment he stepped inside he noticed how dusty and the currently unlivable condition it was in. Since he felt too tired to clean it up at the moment, he asked his mom and dad if he could sleep on the couch for tonight which they agreed to.

So now here he was, laying down in the middle of a dark living room where the only source of light he was able to obtain was from the moon light just shining through his window. He rolled over on his side facing the TV, his uniform now off and neatly folded laying on the coffee table just ahead of him as he now wore a solid green T-Shirt and a pair of black shorts. His gaze soon drifted to his suitcase he had laying next to the coffee table motionless as one lifeless object could be. His eyes stayed glued onto his dark brown suitcase that soon began to fill him with the desire to open it, and so he did. With the light coming through the window and the tapping of the droplets of rain dripping from the glass, he slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and reached his arms out to grab a hold of the suitcase before lifting it up on the coffee table. He turned it to face his direction before unhooking the two straps that were bound on both ends of the large looking rectangle box and slowly began to open it.

The first thing the light hit on was a few pairs of his combat uniform he had brought with him, for he knew that it was a symbol of who he grew to be. He took the uniforms out of the suitcase before gently setting it aside before looking at the next items on the list. There laid four objects, on the left was a Kimber Custom pistol, on the right was a photo seven people posing in their full combat uniform, and the two items in the middle was another envelope directed to a different address and book that kept his photo albums.

"Lincoln."

Lincoln jumped slightly startled at the unexpected voice. He turned around to see Lily standing half way up the stairs covering herself with a baby blue blanket while she held onto a stuffed bear.

"Lily?" He questioned. "Why are you doing up so late, you do know that it's way past your bedtime correct?" He lightly scolded.

"Y-yeah, I know. But... umm." She averted her eyes to try not to meet his. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Um, why?" He confusingly replied.

"W-Well, you see." Lily nervously spoke.

All of a sudden, a loud roar of thunder was heard outside causing Lily to jump and run down the stairs before plopping herself next to Lincoln while pressing herself against him. Lincoln watched this happen with his own to eyes; In an instant Lily was standing on the stairs, to shoving herself deep into his side like a cub trying to get protection from its mother. It took a while to register what just happened in his head, and as it soon clicked, he couldn't help but laugh which he tried so hard to hold back from embarrassing Lily.

"Y-You're scared of thunder?" He wheezed out as he tried to stay as quiet as he possibly could.

"S-Shut up." Lily blushed. "It's scary okay. It's like a giant monster roaring from the sky."

After a few more seconds of chuckling, Lincoln wiped a joyful tear that found its way out of his eye sockets before smiling down at his sister who continued to stay huddled up next to him. "Don't worry." He spoke confidently. "Your big brother is here to protect you."

Lily smiled as she heard that. "You really are the best big brother you know." She smiled.

Lincoln let out a grunt in agreement as he ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I know I am." He responded. "By the way, why didn't you just go sleep with mom and dad or one of the sisters?"

"I did before when I was younger." She spoke before looking down to play with her bear. "But I felt as if I was annoying them, so I stopped doing it when I was eight."

"Aww, I'm sure they'd never be annoyed of someone as cute as you." He pinched her cheeks before lightly pulling it. "But if you feel that way, I'll be your source of protection. Okay?"

Lily rubbed her cheek which slightly stung from Lincoln pulling it. "Okay." She agreed. No sooner than that, she took notice of the items sitting in the suitcase as well as the picture that caught her attention the most.

"Say, who's them?" She questioned while pointing at the picture.

Lincoln looked at the item before taking it out of the suitcase. "You wanna know who are these people?" He spoke, to which Lily replied by nodding.

"Well, they're my team. They are the people I spent ten years of my life bonding with."

"Wow." Lily stared in awe. "You all look so... so strong." She complimented as she looked over the seven people on the picture. There were six guys and two girls standing in front of two armored HMMWV's

"I'm this one." Lincoln spoke while pointing to a smiling man wearing sunglasses as he had an arm wrapped around the lady next to him.

Lily took another few seconds analyzing him before speaking again. "Is that lady your girlfriend?" She spoke.

"U-Ugh." Lincoln pulled the picture to him as he looked at the lady next to him sadly. "Yeah... I mean. No, it's... it's kinda complicated Lily."

"Oh, well that's fine. She just looks really pretty even with that type of clothing." She looked up at her brother with a tired smile.

"Yeah, she is pretty isn't she." He smiled as he continued to look at the picture in deep thought which was interrupted by a yawning Lily.

"You're getting sleepy now huh?" Lincoln spoke as he laid down on the couch so Lily would be able to lay on him. "Lets go to sleep."

"Mmmm, okay." She drowsily nodded her head before climbing on her brother. "G'night, big bro." She weakly muttered.

"Good night Lil' sis." He replied after a few seconds.

After a minute or two, he could hear light snores coming from Lily which made him smile once more. He picked his arm up to look at the picture he and Lily were just talking about a few moments ago and laid his eyes on the woman, causing his smile to deepen into a depressing gaze.

"Goodnight Ellie." He muttered. "I hope you're doing well..." He looked out the window to see the stars shining brightly above. "...wherever you are."

* * *

The sun slowly rose above the horizon of Royal Woods letting the residents know that it was now a new day; and for a certain Loud family, the start of a new life. Once again, the alarm clocks were set off to wake up Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lily for school while there parents would also get ready to take them there and then head to work; but instead, the moment the alarms went off, the entire family were awake to get dressed just to head down to see Lincoln.

As the sisters pushed and shoved one another to get down the stairs, they rushed to the couch only to see a sight they weren't hoping to see. There laid Lily Loud who was sleeping comfortably with her teddy bear in her arms, but all the commotion from above caused her to open her sleepy eyes and stretch.

"Good-morning girls." Lily rubbed her eyes as she gave a sleepy smile.

The nine girls couldn't believe it.

"So, he really is gone? Isn't he?" Leni muttered as she rubbed her arms, now feeling her depression coming back to haunt her. "Lori, are we going crazy?"

The eight sisters look at the eldest for an answer. "I... I don't know."

Lily who was staring at her sisters curiously couldn't help but wonder what was going on. "Why do you think that?" She blurted out.

"Because, Lincoln wasn't real!" Luna spoke in an almost forced yell. "None of it was, and he'll never be coming back."

Lily tilted her head while blinking a few times. "If he wasn't real... then why is his stuff here?" She pointed at his opened luggage as well as folded uniforms on the coffee tables.

In an instant, they all flocked around the items with interest.

"Sho, I shuppose our conscience isn't meddling with our mindshet to advocate any illusions of our brothers return?" Lisa questioned looking at everyone for their thoughts.

"It seems to be that way." Lucy replied before noticing something in the corner of her eye. "Say, what's this?" She reached her arm out to grab a hold of the picture sitting in the corner of the coffee table.

"Oh!" Lily jumped. "It's a picture of Lincoln and his friends." She smiled with excitement. "They all look so awesome, like superheroes."

Lucy, who still had the picture in hand noticed how everyone leaned into her to take a glance on what was there. "They look, happy."

"Yeah, especially his girlfriend!" Lily blurted before covering her mouth instantly. She eye'd her sisters who slowly turned their heads to look at hers with what she thought were the most lifeless expressions one could see.

"He has-" Lana began.

"A girlfriend." Lynn finished

"Uuh, yeah. Well I mean no." Lily rubbed the back of her head glancing away. "He said it was complicated, so I'm honestly not too sure." She looked at her sisters once more before speaking. "He's the one having his arm wrapped around the pretty lady's shoulder by the way."

They turned their heads back onto the photo once more to get a better look on who this girl was, and by all means how much they hated to admit it, but Lily is right.

"Golly!" Luna exclaimed. "Look at her dudes, how'd our little bro manage to land someone like that."

Lola felt a sharp pain hit her chest when she looked at the woman in the picture. As much as she hated to admit it, but Luna and Lola was right, she must be an angel... and a new rival! Her eyes were now burning with a flaming confidence and rage, feeling that she was now being challenged to look the best. And my god, she's never felt this spark in her for a long time that it feels rather pleasant.

Before they could discuss more on the matter, they heard the front door open with Lincoln now entering the building covered in sweat in a muscle shirt with combat pants and boots that made him look like a hunk.

"Oh!" He spoke when he spotted his sisters up and awake in the living room. "Is it six o'clock already?"

Leni threw herself on Lincoln in delight seeing that he was still here. "Lincy!" She yelled in joy and fear. "We thought you weren't real and Lisa said that we were probably having an ill... what was that word again Lisa?" She looked back towards the brains of the family.

"Illusion?" She answered.

"Yeah!" She confirmed before looking back at Lincoln. "An Ill lotion!"

Lisa rolled her eyes when he heard Leni pronounce the word wrong even though she just said it only seconds ago. "Oh brother." She muttered.

Lincoln looked at Leni with his eyebrows raised. "Well, Leni." He began before gently removing her grasp on him. "As you can see, I am not an illusion. So you don't have to worry about a thing." He smiled as he rubbed her hair. "Alright?"

Leni nodded rapidly. "Okay."

Rita and Lynn Sr soon came down the stairs to prepare breakfast and then drive their kids down to school.

"Good morning kids!" Lynn Sr waved. "Hope you're hungry!"

Rita spotted Lily standing with her blanket around her still in her pajamas. "Lily!" Rita began to lecture. "We'll be leaving soon and you're still in your pajamas."

"But it's so comfy!" Lily pouted while sitting down. "Can't I got to school like this?"

"Lily Loud!" Rita crossed her arms. "Go upstairs and get changed this instant!"

"No!" She huffed.

Lincoln chuckled at the sight before him. "It's fine mom I'll take her to get changed." He spoke before turning towards the young Loud.

"Lily."

Lily looked up to see one of the most menacing yet friendly expression Lincoln expressed.

"Go to your room or I'm gonna get tickle you until you can't breathe." He spoke while acting as if he had claw like hands.

That was enough for Lily to get up and start running up the stairs, all while Lincoln was right on her tail.

"I'm gonna get ya!"

"N-No!" Lily joyfully squealed. "Stay away from me!"

As this happened, the family watched as the two disappeared up the stairs with a smile.

"He sure is changing this house for the better." Luan commented. "Coming to think of it, the house is starting to become a little _Loud_ all of a sudden, hahaha! Get it?"

The entire family gasped as they stared at Luan.

"...what?"

"Why, we never heard you laugh at your own jokes in years!" Lynn answered.

"Yeah." Lana nodded. "What's the sudden change?"

"Oh I don't know." Luan crossed her left arm under her chest as her right palm was touching her cheek. "I just feel the humor coming back into me I guess."

Rita warmly smiled. "Well that's good for you dear. Now who's hungry?" She went into the kitchen shortly followed by the rest of her family.

"Oh how about we make omelettes." Luan suggested. "Your omelettes are always _egg_ -celent mom! I can't peform on an empty stomach tonight, the audience are _eggs_ -pecting a good show tonight. I wouldn't want to disappoint my fans after all of my _fan_ -tastic shows. Hahaha, oh I'm on fire!" She cheered

Lori pinched Luans lips shut.."Don't push it." She spoke before releasing them.

"Sorry, hehe."

And with that, the Loud House was finally complete. Their past demeanors slowly returned after the weeks flew by, and soon those weeks turned into months. The family slowly became accustomed to Lincoln's return and wouldn't act so excited and relieved to see him around as they did the first few weeks. But as much as the times past, they all couldn't help but want to know what Lincoln went through and his experiences he faced over the ten years. Where did he go? How did he push through? Who are the people he forged bonds with over the years? And finally the one question that only the Loud sisters thought the most, who is the girl in the picture and who was she to Lincoln?

They didn't bother asking him about this stuff when they discovered it, for they were afraid that these subjects were too sensitive for him at the moment and completely unnecessary to ask of. But now, after two months have past, they'd say that they deserve some answers.

Lincoln, who currently sat in his room flipping through pages from the book he had in his suitcase couldn't help but feel as if he'd soon have to explain his story to a few people.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **And done!.**

 **I know I was going to update this chapter much later, but honestly I decided to cut this chapter a little short to around 6500+ words this time. To those of you who are curious about how I'm doing. Then I'm doing fine, thankfully I didn't have to evacuate but the threat of the fire isn't over yet, so im still preparing for the worst. But I hope it wont come to that!**

 **Anyways! I'l try to get chapter 3 out to you all as soon as possible, but right I'd expect a delay over the current conditions my city is facing. Other than that, I hope you all have a blessed day and as always!**

 **I'll see you guys, when I see you guys.**

 **PEACE**


	3. Chapter 3

**What's up guys, welcome back to another chapter and I must say that things will begin to unravel itself much MORE differently than the,** ** _"Loving Return"_** **by Devumaru. New information and complications about Lincoln will be revealed slightly in this chapter, as well as more of a sibling bond and competitive nature with the family. Other than that, let me know what you all think alright? :D**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **...or not, :3**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 _"Lincoln!"_

 _A pain-filled cry filled the ears of the young Loud making him jump onto his feet instinctively. He looked around frantically trying to get an idea on what was happening. Old looking structures around him were either on fire or had large, blown up holes within them. The sight of such destruction caused him to observe his figure, praying that he contained no severe injuries that could leave him crippled. As he does so, he noticed that he was wearing his combat uniform along with his helmet strapped to his head and M4 Carbine with its holster going over his left shoulder and under his right armpit to keep it from flying off him._

 _In the distance, he could make the sound of gunfire that caught his attention. He saw a group of six people taking cover behind two armored vehicles firing at another group with a much higher number of individuals that clearly outmatched them. One of the people behind the armored vehicles was looking straight at him screaming while pointing somewhere._

 _"Go ch_ _..k on E..ie!" The broken screams due to the gunfire were chanted over and over._

 _Lincoln hazily turned to where the person was pointing which soon landed on a pair of legs laying over a large amount of rubble._

 _"Lincoln!" He heard cry was once more._

 _As he saw this, adrenaline suddenly kicked into him making his eyes go wide in fear and shock before sprinting towards the clearly critically injured person ahead of him. As he closed the distance rapidly, hearing another explosion set off a couple feet away to his right causing him to stumble, he screamed the persons name knowingly at the top of his lungs. "E-"_

* * *

"Ellie!" Lincoln screamed as he jolted up to a sitting position.

He was sweating massively while taking deep breaths trying to calm his raging heart-beat. The lights in the hallway suddenly flickered open for he could see the glimmers under the door to his room in the corner of his eye, and no sooner than that his father came barging into the room shortly followed by his mother and the rest of the family.

"Lincoln." Lynn Sr worryingly spoke as he sat next to his son wrapping his right arm over his sons shoulder to bring him into a hug. "It's alright." He soothingly spoke. "It's okay, you're not over there. It's over now, you're home."

Lincoln gently rested his head against his fathers shoulder as he began to feel tears build up in his eyes, to which he soon shut tightly to restrict their flow as much as he possibly could.

Rita, who occupied the right side of Lincoln leaned onto him before wrapping her arms around him and her husband to bring them into an even closer hug. "It's okay sweetie. Mommy's here." She spoke in an assuring tone. "We're all here for you."

Lincoln opened his eyes and gazed at all of his sisters worried faces as they held each others hands or onto one another for comfort. Nights like these were happening at least once or twice a week in the Loud House. The first time this happened made everyone jump in fear at such an unexpected sound happening early morning, but much before the break of dawn. It was such a chilling and heart-broken cry that it even made Lucy shiver on how dark and gloomy it was, that was when they noticed that the scream was from there brother. Everyone barged into his room that night when it first happened, much like they do so now, only to see Lincoln staring into space with such dread and distraught that it pained them to see him this way. Lisa, out of the clear signs she observed from her brother after the second or third time it happened, informed her family that Lincoln contained a case of PTSD, but thankfully it wasn't anything severe because of how normal he acts when he's awake and around them.

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln turned to his mother who called his name.

"Are... are you sure you don't want to talk about it? If you're not comfortable speaking to us, we can call a therapist to speak with you if you'd like."

Lincoln stayed silent for a bit shifting his eyes randomly. "I..." He began as his voice quivered. "I... d-don't know."

Lincoln pushed away from his fathers shoulders. His mother let him go seeing that he was now in control of his emotions now.

"It... it all j-just happened t-too fast." He leaned forward with his elbows resting against his knees to support his upper body. "S-She was there n-next to me." He sniffed before covering his eyes with both of his palms. "A-And then in an instant, s-she just wasn't" He slowly began to cry as his parents began to comfort him once more.

Lincoln opened his mouth to try to continue, but to no avail, nothing would come out besides groaning sounds that resembled a noise similar to when someone gets the wind knocked out of them.

"That's enough." Lynn Sr concluded. "If you can't say anything, then you don't have to."

"No." Lincoln managed to squeeze out. "I-I want you guys to k-know what happened. B-But it's too hard to speak about it."

Lisa took a step forward. "Do you really want ush to know what happened Lincoln?" She questioned.

His only response was faint nod that assured her thoughts.

"Well." She began once more. "I have... developed a device a few years back that should be able to do just that. The only thing is that you won't have to say anything."

Lincoln quietly sat for a bit before looking up make eye-contact with her younger sister. "I... I'd like that. But, could you wait until I feel that I am ready?" he asked, to which Lisa agreed to.

"Okay." She replied.

"Alright everyone." Lynn Sr spoke. "Off to bed, it's only two in the morning." He got up before looking at the youngest Loud. "Lily."

Lily looked at her father before nodding, understanding what he wanted her to do. As everyone slowly and reluctantly left the room, Lily closed the door before hopping onto the bed with Lincoln who was now laying down once more. When Lincoln wakes up screaming and crying and after they managed to get him to calm down, Lily is usually the one who stays with her brother in the end. The reason for this was because Lily's presence usually calms him for the rest of the night with her innocent and bubbly personality.

"Hey Lincoln." Lily smiled as she rested her head on the pillow next to her brother.

"Hey Lily." Lincoln replied as he stared at the ceiling while his arms were behind his head.

"Is... is that her name?" She spoke, remembering the name he screamed.

Lincoln turned his head to look at her. "What?"

"The girls name on the picture. Ellie right?"

Lincoln blinked a few times before smiling. "Yup, that's her alright."

"Her name even sounds pretty." Lily exclaimed with a smile.

Lincoln chuckled before pinching her cheeks again, much to Lily's dismay. "Not as pretty as yours ya know."

Lily whined as she rubbed her cheek while pouting at her brother, but seeing the restored joy in his eyes only made her brighten up with happiness. Lily wrapped her arms as much as she could around her brother, snuggling herself into his chest. "I love you big bro." She lightly spoke.

"And I as well, little sis." Lincoln returned.

The room was now filled with a comfortable silence before the two slowly and willingly drifted to a peaceful slumber.

* * *

The sun slowly arose in the distance once more signifying a new day has come upon Royal Woods, Michigan. The alarms in the Loud House soon went off that emit a loud beeping which surely engulfed the house with its noise. Inside Lincolns room, Lily groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly before stopping the alarm next to her on the counter. She looked lazily around the room, already knowing that this wasn't her room to which she shared with Lisa. She looked at the empty spot next to her before getting off the bed, knowing that Lincoln was up long before them all going for his morning run to which he should be back in a few minutes. As Lily opened the door, she lazily walked to the end of the hall to reach the bathroom to which she happily cheered to herself that only Luan was the only one waiting in line.

"Good morning, Luan." Lily smiled.

"Good morning, Lily." Luan replied with her own smile. "So, Lincolns out on his run again?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Old habits are glued with him I guess."

"Well, you know what they say. Old habits die hard hehe." Luan chuckled a bit. "I could've done better." She lightly frowned after thinking of what she said.

No sooner than that, Luna came out of the bathroom allowing Luan to go inside while saying a brief , _"Good morning"_ , to Lily as she headed down the stairs. Lucy soon appeared next to Lily slightly startling her a bit, which always made her wonder how she was always able to do this.

"G-Good morning, Lucy." Lily spoke. "Where's Lynn?"

"Oh, hey Lily." Lucy replied. "I think Lynn is off on her run with Lincoln."

"Really?" Lily's eyes slightly widened, surprised on what she heard. "I didn't think Lynn would actually be able to keep up with his daily schedule."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's amazing where she gets the energy for this. But hey, if it's working then I won't stop her."

Lily nodded before looking at her sister once more to take in her _new_ look. Her appearance slowly began to change since Lincoln came back, though her choice in colors didn't alter as much. She no longer had her hair covering both of her eyes, instead they only covered her left eye leaving her right eye exposed which surprisingly contained a rare eye color of a very light purple. And must she say, seeing Lucy looking like this made her have a more beautiful aura around her than a gothic one. She still wore black mainly, going for a black colored shorts that didn't pass her knee as the fabric hugged her thighs. On top she wore a black tank top that exposed a little bit of her collar bone, and at her feet she still wore her usual black and white striped socks that went up past her knees with black shoes.

"You know, I still can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Lucy questioned as she looked at her.

"How you changed your look. You used to be so concealed, and now you look so... so..."

"Different?" She spoke.

Lily nodded. "Well yeah, but you surprisingly look really pretty."

Lucy raised her right eyebrow. "Pretty?"

"Yeah!" She nodded before grinning flirtatiously at her. "Are you trying to catch a certain boys eye." She lightly nudged her sister with her elbow.

Lucy lightly flushed. "W-Well, I-I-" She stuttered before looking away.

"I knew it!" She cheered. "Lucy has a crush." She chanted a few times before Lucy covered her mouth with her hand.

"Will you keep it down." She hissed. "Just don't tell anyone or I'll die of embarrassment." She retrieved her hand from Lily's face to see her grin was even wider than before.

"Oh don't worry." She chirped with an innocent smile. "I won't tell."

Just then Luan came out of the bathroom allowing Lily to go in.

"Woah there!" Luan halted as she was about to step on Lucy's foot. "You better watch where your place your foot Lucy. After all, I don't want to _crush_ it." She smirked teasingly before walking off downstairs leaving a very red Lucy.

* * *

Just outside of the Loud House, Lincoln and Lynn just got back from their five mile run sweating and slightly out of breath.

"Ya know, I'm surprised you're still coming with me Lynn." Lincoln complimented as they walked up the steps. "I thought that after a week or so you would've stopped and wanted to just sleep in for another hour or two before heading to work."

"Hey!" Lynn lightly punched Lincolns shoulder. "I'm suppose to say that. You just went from scrawny Lincoln, to _I'm such a hunk with this body_ Lincoln in my eyes." She smiled.

Lincoln chuckled as he lightly rubbed his arm. "Hehe, I guess so huh?"

"Of course!" She replied. "By the way." She stepped in front of Lincoln, preventing him from opening the door. "I'm checking up on another schools PE class in Royal Woods in about two hours. I was wondering if you wanna come with."

"Well that depends." He began. "What's my presence gonna do?"

"Well~" Lynn hummed. "Since you're a man of order and..." She eye'd her brother from his toes to the top of his head with a grin. "...a very physically fit person, I wanted you to give an example to some of the boys who are just wild, out of shape, and lazy."

Lincoln pondered about the idea for a few seconds. "Eh, sure." He shrugged. "When do we leave?"

"In an hour, the school is a thirty minute drive from here." She answered before opening the door. "And that's without traffic." She concluded as she stepped inside.

Lincoln smiled at that. "Well, this is going to be fun." He chuckled before stepping inside and closed the door behind him.

Lynn and Lincoln heard chatter coming from the kitchen which meant that everyone was most likely up eating breakfast. They proceeded into the dining room only to see everyone awake sitting around the table while Rita continued to bring the plates to the table.

"Good morning, Lincoln, Lynn." Rita smiled at the two when she notice them come in. "Hungry?"

"Yes, Ma'am/Please!" Lincoln and Lynn simultaneously spoke as they took their seats while their mom went to grab two more plates.

"Lincy!" Leni spoke with a smile. "Are you busy later?" She questioned.

"It depends, what do you want me to do?"

"Well." She began. "Lucy, Lori, and I are going to the mall later to pick out new outfits!"

Everyone besides Leni stared at Lucy, surprised that she was going to the mall for such things like that.

Lucy blankly stared back at them all. "It's still going to be black and white like usual."

This seemed to calm everyone down hearing that.

"Ah, okay. That's nothing big I guess." Lola replied. "I thought you were like, going to buy colorful new clothes."

"No."

"Well, good for you Lucy." Lincoln smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder since he sat right next to her. "I can't wait to see what clothing you'd choose to make yourself dazzle in ones eyes."

Lucy lightly flushed at his expectations. She turned away to hide her red face that would surely be noticed by her family if she hadn't concealed it in anyway. "T-Thank you." She nervously replied.

"And to answer your question, Leni." Lincoln turned to his second eldest sibling. "I'm afraid I have to decline your offer. I already have plans to head out with Lynn to assist her in one of Royal Woods schools Physical Education classes."

"Aww, okay." Leni spoke, clearly disappointed. "Maybe next time though." Her bubbly personality returned after a second.

"Definitely." He smiled.

"Yay!"

Lincoln turned to Luna and Luan seeing as his and Leni's conversation were now over. "How about you two? What are you going to be doing today?"

"I'm just going to rehearse for an upcoming show I have in a few days." Luna responded.

"Same here." Luan spoke.

"That's awesome." Lincoln replied.

"Yeah, we haven't done any in quite awhile so this'll really help me to keep myself on my toes." Luna smiled.

"Wait, you guys have been doing this for quite some time?" He questioned, to which the two women nodded to confirm his curiosity. "Then why haven't you been performing recently?"

"Well, we just wanted to spend a lot of time with you!" Luan rubbed the back of her head while smiling idiotically.

"Well, I can't wait to see you two perform. So make sure to give it your all."

Luan and Luna only smiled even brighter as an even stronger wall of confidence began to construct itself inside the two.

"Well, kids. It's time for school, grab your things and meet me outside in five minutes. I'll be dropping you off today." Lynn Sr spoke as he finished his meal.

*Groan*

The unmotivated sounds of Lola, Lana, and Lily were heard while Lisa could hardly care less if she went to school or not since she was already far intelligent beyond their educations capability.

"I'm glad I graduated last year." Lucy faintly smiled.

"Lucky." Lola and Lana spoke as they went to grab their backpacks.

"Lincoln." Lynn spoke. "We should be leaving in about thirty minutes. Make sure to take a shower and get dressed before we go. I'm sure we don't want to be seen coming in with a sweat odor."

"Good idea." Lincoln nodded as he grabbed his plate before placing it in the sink and gave a quick scrub on the dishes to rid of any left over food that was stuck on the plate. "Thanks for breakfast mom." Lincoln smiled.

"No problem sweetie."

He then went upstairs to grab a new pair of clothing before heading to the shower to prepare his day with Lynn.

* * *

"You know, you weren't kidding when you said it would probably take awhile." Lincoln spoke as he sat in the passenger side of Lynn's, black colored 2015 Ford F-150 pick-up truck. The two were in a midst of traffic on the, but luckily it wasn't slow.

"Yeah." Lynn taking a quick glance at Lincoln. "At this rate we'll get there about ten minutes later than what I predicted. Thankfully we left a bit early, so we should arrive on time."

Lincoln nodded. "So, do you like trucks Lynn?"

"Heck yeah!" She smiled happily. "They're so cool, and if you get the right one you feel so dominant against the other vehicles around you."

"Well, it does kinda match your personality." He hummed. "I'd say you got yourself a good car. How long you had it?"

"I'd say about a year, perhaps a little less, or a little more." She shrugged. "Pretty much everyone of us have a vehicle of our own besides Lucy and everyone else younger. Lori could've bought a car all for herself instead of sticking to the Vanzilla she always drives around to work, but I don't know why she didn't. I hope she'll get one soon though, she sure has saved a lot in her bank account for one after all."

"I'm sure she will soon." Lincoln assured.

After a few more seconds, Lynn soon drove down the next exit of the highway. "We're almost there, it's just around a few of these buildings." She addressed.

"Well, at least we're out of traffic."

"Yeah, I guess."

A few more minutes of small chatter between the two were made before Lynn started driving into a long driveway that seemed to stretch for about a quarter mile, and at the end of the driveway was a large building standing at the center while a few smaller buildings stood next to it. But judging by the sight, Lincoln could only guess that there were dozens of other buildings behind the ones he could see.

"Is this really a high school?" Lincoln questioned, thinking that his sister turned into the wrong driveway.

"Trust me, I thought the same thing when I first set eyes on it three years back." She chuckled.

"This looks like a college campus to me honestly." He spoke in slight awe. "This school must really have something up there sleeves if they have all this land.

"Well, they have tons of classes one could take if they're eligible to come here. They have all kinds of art classes, sports, agricultural classes meaning that they'll range from tons of experiences such as farming, animal raising, and growing crops."

"So you mean-"

"Yeah, most of the food they feed to the students during Lunch are grown on this land."

"Awesome."

Lynn smiled. "You can say that again."

"...awesome."

"I wasn't serious ya know." She laughed.

"Well, it deserved more than one compliment." He replied with a light smile as they pulled up into the parking lot.

The two stepped out of the vehicle before heading inside what Lincoln could only guess was the main building. As they walked down the almost empty hallways that contained polished floors and labels along the walls that described which room they were coming across. The two walked down the halls, noticing the remaining students who could be seen frantically rushing to get to their classrooms before the bell rang. After a few more seconds, they came up to a door that had a labeled word next to it named _prinicpal_. Lynn opened the door and stepped inside to find a middle aged man sitting behind a desk doing paperwork.

"Excuse me, Principal Cowalski." She spoke as she stepped inside. "I'm checking in to assist your PE classes."

The now named Principal looked up from his desk and smiled lightly. "Oh, hello Lynn! Thank you so much for taking your time to come back and proceed to help keep our children stay healthy and physically active." He caught sight of Lincoln in the corner of his eyes. "And who might you be?"

Lynn spoke before Lincoln could. "This is my brother, Lincoln Loud. I brought him along because I personally feel that the boys would feel more motivated and take a better understanding on how important it is to stay fit. Not only that, but Lincoln is a man of order, he's served a few years in the military so I'm positive that he's more than qualified to assist me in this. Much less keep the more rebellious students in line."

"Ah, a veteran I see." Principal Cowalski stood up before heading over to Lincoln to give him a proper handshake. "It's nice to meet you Lincoln! And thank you so much for your service to our country."

"Pleasure to be here, Principal Cowalski." Lincoln smiled in return.

As the two parted with their hand shake, the principal turned once more to Lynn. "First period should start in a minute, your first wave of students should be ready about a minute or two after the bell rings."

"Sounds great. I'll see you later Principal." Lynn spoke before exiting the room, shortly followed by Lincoln. "And now, the annoying part." She grumbled.

"Why's that?"

"The gym is all the way across the campus, which is like a ten minute walk." She spoke.

"Then we'll be late at this rate." He realized as he began to pick up the pace. "I'll race ya to the gym."

"Oh, you're so on." She grinned as she took off without warning him.

"Hey!" Lincoln yelled back before chasing after her. "That wasn't a fair start!"

 _Two minutes later_

"I win!" Lynn cheered as she jumped in joy.

"Disqualified!" Lincoln huffed as he caught up with her not a second later while he crossed his arms in the air forming an X. "You took off way before I could say go."

"But then you caught up."

"And I didn't know where the gyms was! So I got lost!"

"Yeah, yeah, cry baby. Don't get your panties in a twist." She smirked. "Come on, I'm sure the teachers and students are waiting for us." She went up to the double doors of the building before pulling it open, all while Lincoln was grumbling to himself that she cheated.

After entering the building, they walked down a smaller hall in length that lead to another pair of double doors, to which they also walked through. Their ears were immediately flooded with sounds students socializing with one another. There were two classes in one gym, both of them standing in lines in alphabetical order but clearly had a large gap between the two classes to clearly tell that they were part of different groups.

"Alright, pipe down and listen up!" The voice of a male PE teacher with brown skin and black hair was heard echoing through the gym. "Lynn Loud, as you all pretty much already know is the head of Royal Woods Health and Athletics Center has come back once more to see how you've all improved."

At this point, the room was in silence since almost everyone in the room pretty much admires Lynn, mainly from the female portion of the class.

"That's right!" A female PE teacher with blonde hair and white skin informed, she seemed to be in her late twenties to early thirties from her appearance. "And I know how much you all like her, so be quiet and let us go through roll call so you can spend the rest of your hour and a half with Lynn."

The two teachers went down the rows of their own respective classes before swiftly marking down if anyone was absent or not. After a minute or so, the two finished before nodding at Lynn was standing by waiting for the 'go ahead' from the two.

Lynn nodded back with a smile before walking to the center of the gym as all eyes were now upon her, few were of disinterest, but the majority were of inspiration. She looked down on all of the rows intently before clearing her throat as a smile was now placed on her face. "Good morning everyone!"

"Good morning!" They all spoke back.

"I hope you all are ready for the obstacle course I plan to test you in."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good, it has already been set up last night by a few good friends I know at the far end of the field behind this gym, but before we get to it, I'd like to introduce you all to someone who'd be assisting me today." She looked at Lincoln, signaling for him to come to her.

Lynn wrapped her arm around Lincolns neck as the two stood side by side, her height just barely reaching the bottom half of his neck. "This is my brother Lincoln." She introduced.

Lincoln waved at the five to six dozen eyes that stared at him. "Hello!" He smiled.

"My brother is a military veteran, and I expect all of you treat him with respect as one of them should be given. Not only that..." She took her time and glared at the very few more rebellious type of kids. "But I'm hoping some of you here would find inspiration in his shoes and practice to maybe become something like him one day."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Lynn spoke again. "Alright! Lets head on out and take your warm-up half mile run before heading to the course."

As they all began to leave the gym, Lincoln could only think that his desire to become a normal citizen that didn't deserve any special treatment was going be harder to achieve than what he originally thought.

* * *

At the very far end of the field, a crowd of students stood along a white line around a large track that had about six white lanes going all the way around the track which was meant to keep the runners in their own respective lanes.

"Alright, two laps! Ready, set..." Lynn held a stop watch as she eye'd the students, especially the more eager students who either wanted to show-off or be competitive with one another. "...Go!" She clicked her watch the second the students began to either jog or sprint.

They managed to get half way across the first lap before Lynn noticed something off. "Where's...where's Lincoln?" She thought as she looked around for a bit before looking back at the students.

The gifted few were further ahead of the crowd that held the average amount of students, and were soon coming up to finish her first lap. That's when she saw a familiar white haired man running along the tale of the students who fell behind, speaking out words of encouragement to pick up the pace and catch up with the rest of them.

"Come on, I know you can do better than this."

That was one of the lines Lynn heard as she witness him as well as the last of the students finish the first lap. Not to mention that the moment he passed her, she saw him give her a quick grin. She didn't know what he was trying to say with that facial expression, but she felt as if her reputation was being challenged, and she did not like that one bit. Another two minutes passed by, and the last of her students crossed the finish line out of breath and wheezing. Lynn analyzed the time that the last student crossed and compared it to the last time she was here, which was about two weeks ago, and noticed that they finished a whole minute faster than last time.

"Impressive." Lynn complemented the students before her who were waiting for the next thing she wanted them to do. "The class together finished a whole minute faster than before."

"T-that was the h-hardest run I've ever done in my life." One of the male students who was falling behind wheezed out

Lincoln went up to him and patted his back. "But it feels good knowing you did much better, right?"

"...yeah." He finally said smiling up at him. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Lincoln chuckled before looking at Lynn who huffed while turning away. The sight made him smile, and soon he made his way up to her. "Are you jealous?"

"No, why would I be?" She replied with a small glare.

"I don't know." He hummed while putting his thumb on his chin. "Maybe because I got them to finish a whole minute faster." He looked back with a smirk.

"Pl-lease." She poked his chest. "Anyone could do what you just did."

"It's called leading by example, Lynn." He smiled. "If you show them, and encourage them to do better instead of ordering them on what to do then it'll help improve them faster."

Lynn thought about the words her brother said before glaring deeper at him with her hands now on her hips. "What are you trying to say? That I'm bossy.?"

He lightly flinched on her choice of words. "N-No, that's not-"

Sadly, the students who were nearby heard the commotion going on between the two and only managed to fuel the burning fire instead of extinguishing it.

"Hey! Lincoln is challenging Lynn." One of the boys yelled.

"Big deal!" A girl replied. "Lynn could totally wipe the floor with him in any challenge."

"Haha, yeah right." Another boy began. "Lincoln is a military veteran! He's built for extreme challenges like this." He grinned. "Not to mention, He's, A, Boy."

That comment seemed to spark the competitive nature between the two genders as they shouted back and fourth at each other on who would best who.

"Hey! I know how we can settle this." One of the boys said. "Lets have them run the obstacle course Lynn prepared for us, whoever comes in first will define who's really better."

"Yeah!" They all cheered in agreement before looking at the two.

"Ahehehe." Lincoln nervously smiled. "Now, I don't think that was the purpose of today's test. Right Lynn?" He asked.

"..."

"...Lynn?" He turned to his older sister, confused that he didn't receive an answer. That's when he saw it, those competitive eyes that refused to give in and would surely destroy the person before it. Such eyes made him nervously think. "Uh oh."

"Oh, you're on." Lynn growled as she marched towards the obstacle course that was a football fields length between them, all while the students cheered as they were now able to witness this legendary moment between these two.

The obstacle course ahead of them consisted of an eight obstacle run, meaning that there will be eight things they'd have to complete before finishing the course. The first thing they'll do is do a hundred meter dash to the end of the dirt pathway that was laid out in front of them. Second, they'll have to climb a rope that was attached to a pole that led up to a platform they'd have to step onto. Thirdly thing they'd do is grab onto a 30 yard long rope that was attached to two ends of two different structures and pull themselves all the way across onto the other platform without falling, or else they'd have to do it again until they'd be able to do so. Fourthly, they'd then descend down stairs that was at the end of the platform before having to climb over four built walls that are close to six feet in height and about five yards separated from each other. After that, the fifth thing they would come across is another wall standing at 12 feet tall that you'd have to climb as if you were rock climbing, and drop down the other side on a soft mattress. The sixth thing they'd do is run through twelve rubber tires, there feet going between the the holes individually. The seventh thing they'd do was go prone and crawl in a 32 diameter tunnel that'd surely exhaust with all the frontal and rear motion they'd be doing. Finally, they'd sprint all the way back to the beginning before ringing the bell that was placed next to start/finish line.

"You're going down Lincoln." Lynn grinned as she got into a sprinting stance while grinning at Lincoln.

"Come on Lynn, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Ooooo~" The boys simultaneously spoke.

"You hear that, Lincoln is so confident that he's sure that Lynn would be the one leaving in defeat." The boys began to mutter among one another, clearly making the situation much worse than what it already is.

"Just hurry up and get ready, or are you too scared you'll lose?" Lynn shot back, gaining another, "Oooo~" from the girls side this time.

"Hey! No one calls me chicken!"

"I didn't say that, but thanks for clarifying who you are right now."

This time everyone started screaming in excitement and shock on how Lynn just roasted her brother.

"Fine." Lincoln prepared himself. "But don't go whining when I wipe that grin off your face."

The two stared ahead patiently waiting for the go ahead, that's when one of the students went to the bell and rang it, causing the two to start off in a mad sprint while the students cheered for there respective competitors. They managed to complete there hundred meter dash no more than ten seconds, Lynn just a bit ahead of her brother as the two jumped on their own ropes before hauling themselves up. Since climbing ropes was one of Lincolns specialty, he managed to gain the lead by what you could hardly even call a second ahead of Lynn. They both then wrapped there arms and legs around the rope, Lincoln having his stomach on the rope as he tightened his body around it before using his legs to kick himself forward while his front legs pulled him. Lynn, instead of going on her stomach decided to hang under the rope and pull herself across using her arms as her legs kept her from falling off. The two got about half way across until Lincoln lost his balance on the top of the rope and fell into a hanging position like Lynn was currently positioning herself as. This sudden mistake caused him and the rope to wobble, both halting him from continuing forward and making him lose the lead by a short, but really bad distance.

Lincoln soon managed to get himself under control and pushed forward to try to catch up to his sister, who was now a dangerous three to four seconds ahead of him and just finished the third obstacle he was currently on. When he planted his feet on the other side of the platform, slightly breathing harder than before, he wasted no time and descended down the steps and threw his body on the wall that before him before pulling the rest of him over. He did this over and over in a rapid pace, and managed to get to the last wall just Lynn finished going over it. After swiftly moving over the wall, he ran up to 12 foot high wall and was able to take three steps up it before pushing himself up to give him a good boost up.

Lynn was just about to reach the top when she saw another hand appear next to her, grasping onto the top of the wall with a strong grip. She looked down to see a grinning Lincoln as he pulled himself over the wall just as she's done, and drop to the other side quickly. Wasting no time, both she and her brother threw themselves into the tunnel a few feet ahead of them and began to kick and pull themselves through it. What she didn't know about Lincoln, was that crawling through places with almost a hundred pounds of extra weight on you surely made you faster than what you were, and that's what he's done for the past few years. So imagine her surprise when she poked her head out of the hole only to spot Lincoln already on his feet dashing back to the start/finish line. Such a sight made her grab the rims of the tunnel and pull herself out in one go before taking off after her brother immediately when she felt the first sensations of her feet under her.

As they ran passed all the obstacles they've overcome, the sight of the bell with all the students beside it entered her vision, and seeing Lincoln ahead of her by quite a few feet sparked a flow of adrenaline to enter her feet speed up her pace. She didn't want to lose, because that wasn't who she was. Lynn wasn't a loser, she is a conqueror, and she'll be damned if she lost in front of an audience that knows how tough and athletic she is.

The two were now neck on neck, Lincoln slightly surprised on spotting another pair of running feet next to him in the corner of his eye. He didn't expect her to be able to catch up after gaining that tremendous distance between them, but it seems as if her sister has surprised him yet again with her willingness and determination to keep her reputation alive. And must he say, whether he wins or loses this race he's no doubt having a lot of fun, and if he'd just take a second to look into Lynn's eyes he could probably catch a glimpse of excitement radiating off them as well. All thoughts were suddenly snapped away when he saw the finish line before them as well as the student before them. And no doubt, he felt as if he could just reach out and ring the bell right there due to the rapidly closing distance between them, and so he did as well as her sister. Both of them panting heavily as cool air entered and departed from their lungs at such a fast pace that it could almost be considered breathing and exhaling at the same time.

 ***Ding***

* * *

The two siblings were now driving home after a long day coaching the Physical Education class for the last seven to eight hours. It was now four o'clock in the evening, and surely everyone should be home by now besides there parents who would should be home within the hour or so. Lynn once more turned onto the highway that would take them home soon, all while she and Lincoln sat in silence.

"Ya know." Lincoln began. "It amazes me how the first class literally just, turned their days workout into ours." He chuckled.

"Yeah." She replied with a small smile. "I can't believe I got myself sucked into it. And here I thought I was suppose to be getting them to exercise."

"You know, you really got to keep that competitive side of you under control." He suggested. "They can surely use that as a weapon to get out of the workouts you're providing them."

"I can't help it." She glanced at him. "But don't tell me you had fun." She grinned,

Lincoln rested his cheeks on his knuckles as he stared out the window. "Kinda."

"Oh come on." She leaned over and lightly punched his shoulders. "Stop lying."

Lincoln tensed his body together lightly in defense mode. "Fine, fine. I admit it, it was actually kinda fun."

"That's what I thought." She laughed. "Well, lets go home and see how everyone's doing."

Lincoln gave a small grunt in approval as he stared out the window once more in thought. The past few months here have never been so much better then what he could remember with his siblings back when he was younger, in a way he felt as if they were closer than ever. Even with such a large ten year time gap between them between their lives, it sort of felt as if the tragic event never even occurred in the first place. He got to know so much more about his sisters since then and who they've grown to be, especially Lily who told him that her inspiration for drawing grew when she read some of his ten year old Ace Savvy Comics that picked up dust on his desk. Coming to think of it, he would have never knew how much they've all progressed with their own lives if he hadn't come home, much less reconnect with his family at all. All of these rough, painful, and somewhat enjoyable adventures his family experienced made him realize that after all of these months, he's never really spoken much about his past other than a few words and a girl who is no doubt an enigma to his family. He knew that his family wanted to grieve for him and understand what he's went through, but how could they if he wouldn't, or couldn't find the strength to say even a few minor lines without choking on his own spit.

"...Lisa!" His conscience suddenly thought in realization.

If he remembered correctly, Lisa said she developed a device that would allow his family to understand what he wanted to say without him trying to say it. That's quite, amazing now that he thinks about it, but he expected nothing less from his intelligently beautiful little sis.

"I'll do it." He suddenly muttered out, unaware that Lynn could hear him.

"Do what?"

Lincoln blinked when he heard another voice that was not of his own, and noticed that he was still on the road, but only a few blocks away from reaching home. "Wow, I must've dozed off quite a bit there." He thought.

"Lincoln." Lynn spoke, gaining his attention once more. "Do what?" She repeated.

"I... decided that it's time I'd start speaking more of what happened these past ten years." He answered. "Keeping it to myself wouldn't be the best option, for I feel as if I'd slowly go insane and confuse reality to a memory. And I just feel like, since you all told me what you all went through these past ten years, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't speak of my own."

Lynn kept her eyes on the road, but her mind was scrambling all over the place after what she just heard. If what Lincoln said was true, and he did go through with it, she would finally get to know what her dearest brother went through. She really wanted to understand him, to grieve with him, and share his pain that she never got to do when she was younger. She wanted to be his rock for the first time and hold him in her arms and tell him that it'll all be okay, that she'd always be there through thick and thin and would never leave his side. Because she loves him dearly like no other, even more than what she would accept it to be.

"I what?" She suddenly thought, slightly caught off guard by her choice of words. "That's... wow."

Lynn wouldn't forget the feelings she was experiencing at this moment, but for now she'd drop it because it wasn't the time for such an unexpected emotion to cloud her thoughts.

"But." She started. "Don't you, have trouble speaking about your past?"

"Yeah, I do." He confirmed. "But Lisa said she could help me with that issue with one of her inventions."

"Oh, okay." She cleared her throat as she began to grow anxious on discovering his brothers past ten years. "U-uh, if you don't mind me asking, when are you going toooo... show us?"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken. Today is friday." He stated. "And everyone should be home but mom and dad, which they should be back soon. And I know mom would be making dinner shortly after. So I'd say after dinner." He concluded.

"That's only like two hours away." She thought as they pulled up by their house and parked on the street.

"I need to speak to Lisa about it." Lincoln stepped out the vehicle along with Lynn. "I want her to be prepared for when the time comes."

The two made their way two the front door before entering, Lincoln already searching for Lisa to inform her of his desired request that he wish to take place a few hours from now. All while Lynn explained to everyone else what Lincoln wanted to do and why he's doing so, which they understood and couldn't help but feel exactly like Lynn on the matter.

* * *

All of the Loud family, besides Lisa, sat around the kitchen table almost finished with the meal their mother happily prepared for them all with the help of Lori and Luan. Everyone besides Lynn Sr, and Rita who have yet to understand what's going on, glanced at Lincoln once and awhile after getting the news from Lynn on what Lincoln was going to reveal to them just a few minutes from now. Lisa finished her meal rather quickly so she could make some last second adjustments on her invention that'll be used for Lincoln momentarily, and was now in the living room rearranging the area to make her brother comfortable when the time comes.

"Hey, uh, mom, dad?" Lincoln began gaining the attention of everyone around the table.

"What's up sport?" Lynn Sr questioned.

"I was thinking about what happened early this morning and-"

"It's fine Lincoln." Rita cut him off. "You don't have to say anything, we understand and we'll always be here to support you."

"Like your mother said." Lynn Sr agreed. "Don't you ever doubt our concern for you."

"Yeah, I thank you two for understanding. But that's not what I was trying to get at."

"Oh!" Lynn Sr picked up his last piece of broccoli from his plate before putting it in his mouth. "Then what is it?"

"Well." He paused while scratching his neck. "Recently, I couldn't help but feel kinda guilty on how you all told be what happened the past ten years. Yet, I couldn't say anything about what I went through."

"Oh Lincoln." Rita warmly smiled. "We know how hard it is for you to come out with it, and it's okay. You don't have to tell us if it's difficult to speak of your past."

"I know, but, I want you guys to know." Lincoln pushed his now empty plate away and leaned on the table. "I don't want to keep anything away from you guys, and I don't think it's fair that I know your history yet you don't know mine."

"So, what are you trying to say?" Rita's smile slowly faded away, wondering what her son was trying to explain.

*Knock Knock*

"Lincoln." Lisa's head popped into the kitchen. "It'sh all prepared for whenever you're ready." She informed.

"Thank you, Lisa." He gave her a smile before seeking his attention once more to his parents. "I'm ready to give you all the full... story of what I've went through." He stood up and went over to his mother who sat down on the other side of the table. "And if you'll allow me." He extended his hand for his mother to take. "I'd like you to experience this with us."

Rita looked at her husband who sat next to her, looking for his guidance to assist her on this decision that was placed before her. Lynn Sr only gave a slight nod to his wife in approval, if Lincoln put so much effort to do this then it surely would be something to experience with him, and would hopefully discover a little more about this person that was their son. Rita looked back at Lincoln and his extended hand before reaching her own hand out, at first, slightly hesitant, but it soon vanished when she saw the reassuring eyes in her own son.

"Alright." She warmly spoke. "I'd be... more than happy to know."

Lincoln then turned towards his father after seeing that her mother agreed to his request. "And you, dad?"

Lynn Sr lightly smiled before nodding. "Of course." He spoke before standing up. "Alright kids! Lets help your mother clean the kitchen before going to see what Lincoln." He glanced at his son. "Wishes to show us."

Lincoln made his way to the living room to see Lisa fiddling around with a few cords that was connected to a device that looks like an extremely weird helmet.

"Ah, Lincoln!" Lisa spoke when she noticed her brother in the living room with her. "Come, and shit down on thish make-shift bed I made for a shecond."

"...what?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "You want me to poop on that bed?"

"What?" Lisa confusingly spoke before smacking her head. "No! No! Put your damn buttocks on the cushions for christ shakes!" She nearly yelled.

Lincoln laughed at Lisa's reaction. "I'm just messing with ya, sis." He held his stomach. "I know what you meant." He went over and sat down on the bed just as Lisa handed her the weird looking helmet. "So, how does this work?"

"You put thish." Lisa took the helmet before putting it on his head. "And place it on your head, and before I do anything, I want you to lay down and get comfortable."

"Why's that?" Lincoln questioned as he followed his sisters requests.

"Thish contraption I developed is suppose to enter your memory database, but it must shend you into a coma like state for it to work." She answered. "Don't worry, when we turn off and remove thish helmet, you'll be awake in the next ten to thirty seconds. I already ran dozens of tests already to make sure it was safe to use."

"Sounds... cool."

Lisa nodded in agreement before continuing their explanation. "These cords..." She pointed at the few pieces of wire that was connected to the wire. "will send what it's gathered to the TV. In a way, you can say it's kinda like a gaming console with it's data stored in a disc and then placed in the console to be read and played."

"So, what you're saying is-"

"Yesh." She cut him off, just as his family began to walk into the living room in curiosity to see what they were doing. "Basically, we'll be seeing everything through your eyes. Or I can put it in a third-person view point, depending on how everyone out here would prefer it."

Lincoln nodded as he thought of all the information Lisa provided him with how this machine worked and what it can do. By then, his family were all ready, either sitting down on the couch or on the floor.

"So, Lincoln." Lisa spoke, cutting him off from his thoughts. "Where would you like me to start?" She held her tablet that was controlling the helmet at this moment as it slowly began to power on.

Lincoln quietly laid there silently, thinking on where and when would be the perfect place to start everything. He couldn't decide though, because everything he thought held very precious and valuable information that could only be explained much before that. And that's what made him answer her question.

"Start... from the very beginning."

No sooner than that, all of his senses were suddenly cut off, and his world faded to black as it began to reshape and recolor the events of what happened ten years ago on that day that changed his life for good.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **Another CLifFHaNGeR**

 **I feel so evil right now. I can just hear at least one or two of you on the computer smashing your desk to pieces the moment you saw these bold letters huh. o3o I should be the evil mastermind of fanfiction now that I think about it (evil laugh)**

 **Okay, all jokes aside. I really enjoyed writing this chapter honestly, I don't know why but it was quite entertaining if I say so myself. And that race with Lincoln and Lynn, some of you may be confused on who won. Well to answer your question, that is up to you to decide who won by using your *Spongebob reference* imaaaaaagination. But anyways, what do all of you think about this chapter. Let me know down in the review section, praises or criticism, all are welcomed!**

 **...but no flamers... i hate flamers. o3o**

 **And please, PLEASE! If you're going to try and insult me, have your review make sense so me and my brother won't laugh at your low IQ later on in our lives.**

 **But besides that, thank you all so much for reading and as always!**

 **I'll see you guys, when I see you guys.**

 **PEACE :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Animelover54321 here, and back with another chapter for What's Left-**

 ***Car drives through wall killing Animelover in the process***

 **What's up bitches! TheLivingMyth is in the house! Don't mind the dead guy on the floor I'll have someone pick his body up and throw him in the dumpster in a few minutes. No need to have my old weaboo name sticking around anymore am I right?!**

 **Enjoy the chapter ya fucks! :D**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 _*Flashback*_

.

 _Day One (More Specifically Night One)_

.

 _Ten Years Ago_

Three grey colored buses drove down a dirt road late at night in the midst of summer vacation. Gravel and dust picked up off the ground and were blown away into dusty particles far behind them as they continued down the path to what one could only think of is the middle of nowhere. Nothing could be seen as far as the eye could see around them, other than the rare sights of street lamps they passed by every minute or so. The mixed children ranging from the age of ten to thirteen, and with the majority of them being boys, could only sit in silence with their heads down for the bus drivers refused to allow anyone to look out the window and wonder where they were headed. Some sniffling could silently be heard, for these were the kids that were already mentally broken and left in a devastating vulnerability when they stepped onto this bus to be taught some discipline from their own parents who had enough of their shenanigans and rebellious behavior. Some of them even pleaded the last seconds to not be sent away when the buses arrived, but to no avail, it was all helpless.

Lincoln Loud, an eleven year old child was lucky enough to get a window seat when he stepped onto the bus that shortly left Royal Woods. He was able to bring a few necessities the camp required for them to bring until they were able to supply them with their own basic items. Such as a few pair of clothing from home, his tooth brush and toothpaste, and a small bottle of shampoo. He also managed to sneak a family photo of him and his family to be cherished later on when he feels lonely. Other than that, he held nothing else that would be of value to him or any thieves that could possibly be on this bus. As time flew by, he didn't have to wait long to have another kid sit next to him seeing that there were no more window seats available.

It was a girl.

She sat crossed arm glancing down uncaring about the scenery around her or the situation she was in. To Lincoln, she sort of reminded him of Ronnie Anne in a way. Always standing on her toes and refusing to express any form of vulnerability to anyone. A tough nut to crack one could sum up, but Lincoln knew better. Spending eleven years around girls as well as dating Ronnie Anne for quite some time could surely teach a boy a certain thing or two on how girls manipulate their emotions. And at this moment, he concluded that the girl who sat beside him was fearing for her life at this moment. He could see it with her uncertain eyes that revealed itself now and then, the constant shuffling of her legs and crossed arms, as well as the twitching of her fingers. Yes, she is scared. But she wasn't scared of where she was being sent along side him and a couple dozen kids, so what was she scared of?

"Hey! I said keep your heads down now!" The ragged roar of an annoyed bus driver filled the bus, startling Lincoln and everyone else on it which swiftly made them all put their heads down.

Lincoln didn't know if that warning was meant for him or another kid, but he dared not take the chance to continue glancing around for he did not wish to risk getting on the bus drivers bad side. And so, the ride continued on in silence for what felt like days driving down these isolated roads that he was sure no one in this world knew of. He could've sworn that they were no longer in the state of Michigan, but maybe in one of the neighboring states such as Indiana, Ohio, or maybe Wisconsin. In a way, it made him panic knowing that this place was probably so far from home or even the slightest sight of a familiar face. However, these thoughts were soon erased when he heard screeching of metal being forced open.

He took a quick glance out the window to see a metal gate slowly, but surely opening up to allow the buses in to drop their new load of kids. Lincoln was on the second bus, just in the middle between two that were in front and at the rear of the vehicle he was currently riding. As soon as the gates were fully open, he felt the bus once more go into motion while tires began to continue its endless scratching and crunching along the dirt and gravel like substance below the vehicle. At this very moment, Lincoln has never felt more enclosed with the world around him to the point where he can literally hear his lungs inhale and exhale nervously as well as the slowly rising heart rate in his chest. It was breathtaking for him to see himself jump from an open world, to an enclosed prison like campus that screamed survival of the fittest everywhere you looked. The moment the last bus came rolling through from the outside world, the gates screeched close until a loud _bang_ was heard throughout the area. The buses once more squeaked to a stop not a second later.

Lincoln noticed three tall, and very intimidating looking male figures separate from one another, each heading to one of the three buses that stood motionlessly in the quiet night. One of them walked along side his window, and by then he threw his gaze to the floor of the bus once more as to hopefully not be seen and be punished for this action. From then on, he couldn't understand what was happening, but every few seconds he could heard the mans footsteps walk across his window to which he could only conclude that this man was attempting to drive them to be extremely anxious of where they were and to surely strike fear into their hearts. In a way, he compared him to a predator stalking its prey.

Lincoln stayed completely still like an opossum playing dead, so he couldn't tell how the others on his bus, nor the girl next to him was feeling at this moment. But whatever this man walking around his bus was doing, it was surely working on him. It felt like they were sitting their for hours, and during that time he was becoming more and more anxious with his surroundings that it literally began to drive him nuts to the point that he just wanted to jump to his feet and literally scream his lungs out. However, before he could have a chance to put it in action, he heard the bus door squeaked open, and by then...

all hell broke loose.

"Get the hell off my goddamn bus now!" The man who was just walking around this bus moments ago stepped through the doors ordering everyone to get out.

Lincoln got to his feet, the girl right next to him already up as well as they forced themselves to the middle of the bus to go down the steps where the mans screaming was becoming more intimidating to Lincolns ears by the second. He swiftly descended the stairs of the bus where the hollering man continued to bark orders at every child coming out of the vehicle.

"Faster! Faster! Faster! Line up on the yellow imprinted footsteps shoulder to shoulder now!"

One of the boys ahead of him tripped and fell on his hands and knees. He was wearing shorts, and sadly bare skin sliding across dirt and gravel don't make a good combination as his skin was cut open slightly.

"You!" One of the intimidating men growled when he saw the fallen child. "Get your scrawny, useless ass up and get in line before I make you."

The boy immediately got to his feet after, not wishing to meet the end of his threat in the very first day.

Lincoln managed to get into the formation these rough and what he could only assume as heartless men desired for them to be at this moment. As he did so, he looked back at the bus to see the remaining children frantically trying to get off and find their place within the crowd that slowly began to get bigger. After a minute more of screaming and demands to speed up the process, each child has now found their place standing shoulder to shoulder between one another silently as these three men walked through and around the rows these children provided for them all.

"Now listen up!"

One of the men roared in such an authoritative tone that everyone could only assume that he was the person running things around here. Lincoln nicknamed this man the Senior Instructor, for he knew this man was probably the one you didn't want to face if you did something wrong.

"From now on, as you are all under our hospitality, I don't want to hear anything coming out of your shitty little mouths besides, Yes, Sir! Or No, Sir! Unless given the permission to! Do you all understand me!"

"Yes, sir!" They all yelled at once.

"Good! Now, I'm sure you all know why you're all here tonight! If not, then allow me to fill you in!" He walked through the rows glaring at each children in the eye. "Your precious mommy and daddy has sent you here, because you all have some disciplinary issues on obeying their orders! And so, having enough of your _sickening_ attitude..." He walked up to a boy who shook at the power behind his eyes. "...they sent you away to be taught a lesson or two." He growled before continuing down the rows until he spotted a rather, interesting sight.

"You!" He walked up to Lincoln before leaning in, his face only inches away from his. "What's your name!" He roared.

"L-Lincoln Loud, sir." Lincoln softly spoke in fear.

"What?! I can't hear you! Speak louder you piece of shit!"

"Sir! My name is Lincoln Loud, sir!" He yelled.

"Your name is no longer Lincoln! From now on you're snowball! Do you understand?!" He roared.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Do you like your name snowball?!"

"No, Sir!"

"Well too fucking bad! You're gonna learn to like it whether you want to or not! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes, Sir!"

He narrowed his eyes. "What's the deal with your hair anyways? You thought you were going to the circus or something?!"

"N-No, sir! It's just naturally white, sir!"

"Naturally white my ass." He spat. "But it doesn't matter, it won't be an issue for long." Taking one last, long and deep glare into Lincolns eyes. He continued his walk down the rows. "Now, as I was saying before little goody looking two shoes over there _interrupted_ my train of thoughts, you all will be under my watch until the end of this month. You will sleep when I tell you to sleep! Eat when I tell you to eat! And you WILL complete your daily tasks without questions! Any objections?!"

"No, sir!"

He stopped, standing in the very center where every child could at least see him in the corner of their young eyes. "Now, we must know how many of you are here today so we know how many bunks you'll all be needing. So when we tell you to, extend your arms out ahead of you and when one of our instructors come across you, you will scream your number and then put it down until the last person has been counted!" He glanced at one of the other instructors before nodding at him, giving him the okay to get started.

The man proceeded to head to the very front of the crowd before barking. "Hands forward!" As soon as he got to the first child, the train of yelling immediately began.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

This went on for a few seconds until he came across Lincoln, where he then yelled out his number which was Twenty-Seven. A few more seconds passed by, everyone standing completely still and eyes forward out of fear on doing the slightest thing wrong in front of these vicious men. It didn't take long until the last child was called.

"Eighty-Two!"

"Eighty-Two kids!" The instructor yelled out from the back, to which the Senior Instructor who now had a clipboard in his hand wrote down.

After he finished writing the number down, he walked up to another instructor who stood next to him before whispering something in his ear that neither Lincoln, nor anyone else could here. There was a short pause before the man gave a nod to the Senior before turning to them all.

"Alright!" He spoke while stepping in the middle. "Boys to my left! Girls to my right!"

They hurried and shuffled themselves as he wanted, only taking about ten seconds before they all stood still once more like robots. "Boys, you will follow me get your hair shaved. You will have to make a quick decision on either getting your hair cut half an inch long, or you will be shaved completely bald. So decide on what kind of hair-cut you'd want before we get there."

They all headed off in silence, all while keeping themselves in a straight line. Lincoln took a quick glance to his left at the girls once more noticing how few they were compared to the boys side. If he'd had to take a guess, he'd probably say their were about twenty-three girls that were here with them. He spotted the girl he sat next to, and for a second he could've sworn that they locked eyes. He never got the chance to speak with her on that bus, but for some reason he felt as if he'll be damned if they parted as strangers.

* * *

After almost half an hour later, all the children were gathered together once more outside in the dark. The different hairstyles that helped identify the kids were now gone and replaced by either a hairless scalp oroa long enough hair to be considered a hairstyle. The girls weren't allowed to have their hair hanging loosely or in a ponytail, so they must always keep their hair tied into a bun or be shaved just like the boys were, which made them all without a doubt keep their hair tied into a bun.

All of the eighty-two children stood motionlessly in formation as they stared ahead at the instructors before them, waiting for further instructions. They now all had their small luggage of personal belongings they were able to bring with them at their side, which in a way gave a tiny source of comfort for them all to at least have something they recognize.

"Atten-tion!" The ruff voice of the Senior Instructor echoed through the silent compound. "You all will be separated into _two_ , I repeat, _two_! Different groups!" He clarified by gesturing to his two assistant instructors beside him. "Group A will follow Instructor Alvarez to your barracks!" He pointed to his right with his right hand. "And Group B will follow Instructor Xiang, **_(Pronounce Y-a-ng),_** to their own barracks! Is that clear?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Fan-fucking-tastic!" He spoke before giving orders. "All the children with the first letters of their last names beginning from A to M, follow Instructor Xiang! Everyone else will be following Instructor Alvarez." He spoke before walking away to complete any tasks that required his attention, but not before saying one final sentence to them all.

"Welcome to your new life brats!"

After that, the two other Instructors called for their groups to follow them to their sleeping quarters. Lincoln followed the Asian man, which led them in a different direction from Instructor Alvarez. Lincoln and the other forty children, half of what they were since when they first stepped foot in this prison, silently followed Xiang. They walked for almost five minutes until they were led into a grey, circle looking building. In a way, Lincoln thought it looked a lot like a giant metal can that was cut in half from the top, down and then placed on the ground to provide shelter. When he stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was the very dim lighting that was provided. If it was any dimmer, then it would almost be like walking into a dark room. Their were ten bunk beds along the sides of the building, and since the building wasn't that long, the space between the bunks were a little tight to walk through.

"You'll all be sleeping together in here for the next month!" Instructor Xiang spoke. "As you all can see, their is very little room in here to start throwing things around, so if you all want to live as comfortable as one could be for the next four weeks, I suggest you all work together to keep it clean! Every two days their will be a cleaning inspection in this room. If I find even a spec of dust, dirt, or crumbs anywhere in this building, it doesn't matter who it belongs to, you will all be running a mile!"

As everyone entered, Insturctor Xiang marched to the front of the door before turning back to look at the children. "Here's a little hint for you all to hold onto to make your month here at least a little bit easier. Whether you choose to follow my advice or not is none of my concern; Work together, make sure no one steps out of line, and lastly, treat the people around you the way you want to be treated." He slowly began to close to the door. "Lights out, your duty calls for you much before the sun peaks over the horizon." And with that, the door that was shut left an echoing rumble in the building, signaling that they were now able to do as they please.

Lincoln grabbed his small bag of belongings and pushed through the crowded children before walking down the aisle of bunk beds on both the left, and right of him. He grabbed a bed, three away from the last one before sitting down, eyeing the others who slowly found their bunk and bunk partner. He looked down, staring at his bag deciding whether or not he should rummage through them to get an extra pair of clothing out and ready for tomorrow or not.

"You mind if I bunk with you?"

His thoughts were cut short when he heard a voice other than his own just standing above him. He looked up to see another boy who seemed to be a year or two older than him. He had dark, ruffled black hair that was also shaved just like his almost an hour ago, his skin contained a light brown color and he wore a pair of black glasses. He was about as tall as Lincoln, perhaps a few inches taller, but other than that he was a fairly normal kid.

"Sure." He replied without a second thought.

"Thanks man." He smiled as he tossed his belongings on the top bunk. "The names Chester Berninham by the way." He leaned up against the exterior poles that was holding his bed just above Lincoln.

"Lincoln Loud." He replied with his own smile. "So what got you in here Chester?"

"Fighting." He answered without a second thought. "A lot of fighting to be honest, for most of them, I'm not too proud of myself knowing that I committed the act of assault." He added while picking his nails. "How about you? Why was a goody looking two shoes like you sent here?"

Lincoln couldn't help but scoff as he realized the insult Chester used was the exact same one the Senior Instructor, to whom he has yet to learn the name of, shouted at his face just an hour or two before.

"I sort of, broke my dads frame that held his high school graduating picture."

"Sort of?" Chester raised an eyebrow. "Or you did?"

"It's..." Lincoln paused as he thought back to the incident with him, his sisters, and his father. "It's complicated actually, but yeah, I guess it was mainly my fault."

Chester hummed. "Well, I don't know if it's reasonable enough to send you to a fucked up place like this, but I mean..."

Lincoln zoned out, Chester's words becoming nothing but muffles in his ears as he spotted the girl who he sat next to on the bus now bunking in the next bed over. She still kept her non-vulnerable appearance up steadily with little to no falter. In a way, he felt an enigmatic aura around this girl that made him crave to discover this mystery that stood just before him.

Chester stopped speaking as he noticed Lincolns distant eyes that were not on him. He glanced behind him to see what or who he was eyeing, only to notice the girl that was laying in the bed just beside them. Chester looked between the two of them and couldn't help but grin teasingly as he saw this, and no sooner than that, he snapped his fingers a few times in front of Lincoln to bring him back to his senses.

"Sorry." Lincoln muttered with a chuckle. "I sort of dosed off their for a second didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." He sat on the bunk next to Lincoln before leaning closer to him with a teasing smile.

This sight made Lincoln lean away nervously, and awkwardly laughing. "Hehe... what's up man?"

"So..." He began to speak. "Who's the cutey you've been eyeing?"

Lincoln lightly flushed as gave an expression of surprise. "W-What are you talking about?" He turned away.

"Don't play dumb with me. I saw you eyeing that girl just a few seconds ago." He nudged him lightly. "Does lil Linky need a helping hand to be introduced?"

"N-No! I just thought she looked cute." He rubbed his fingers together nervously. Not a second later his eyes widened as his face began to turn redder when he realized what he just said "I-I mean."

"Oooo~" Chester now had a massive grin on his face as he began to tease him with words like any ordinary child would.

While Chester continued to tease Lincoln, the distraction that was caused by them soon attracted the girl that was on the next bunk over. She rolled to her right side where she was able to spot the two having a conversation, well if you could even call it that for the kid with white hair looked as if he would pass out from embarrassment over the compliment he gave her earlier. Yes, she heard him say she was cute, to which she was slightly happy that someone saw her that way.

"You know, you two aren't as quiet as you think you are." She spoke, halting Chester from continuing his attack on a flushed Lincoln.

Chester looked at the new speaker that was laying across from the two. "Well, there wouldn't be much privacy over how narrow these places are. So I'm not surprised if you did hear us."

For the first time, Lincoln actually took in the girls features. She has blonde hair, much like his sisters in a way but not too bright, her skin held the milkiest color he ever laid eyes on and her eyes were of an extremely alluring bright green color that he's never seen before. She wore a long sleeved purple sweater much like Ronnie Anne, but except it didn't have a hoodie, along with dark blue leggings that were of soft fabric which Lincoln could probably guess that it's not the best type of pants to wear for some place like this.

The girl ignored Chester as she eye'd Lincoln. "You're the kid I sat next to on the bus, right?" She questioned.

Lincoln blinked a few times before realizing that he was asked a question. "U-Uh, yeah. That was me!" He answered. "How did you know?"

The girl let out a light huff that sounded as if she wanted to laugh. "Well duh, who wouldn't forget that white hair snowball." She added with a faint, yet charming smile.

Lincolns eye twitched lightly as he heard the other humiliating nickname the Senior Instructor gave him. It seemed as if his reputation began to grow among the group, for if the girl before him even called him by thay embarrassing name, then who knows how many have decided to use it on him as well.

"Oh, well that seems reasonable." Lincoln replied in a faintly annoyed tone.

At this point, there was a banging that echoed throughout the building followed by a muffled yell.

"Lights out!"

"Welp, you heard the ol' man." Chester wasted no time and climbed onto his top bunk. "G'night Link." He spoke before looking at the girl. "You as well lil' lady." He winked.

"Put a sock in it." She frowned which caused Chester to laugh.

"Feisty." He muttered before he disappeared over the top mattress.

The girl looked at Lincoln, searching for his eyes to lock onto hers, to which they soon did as the two had a very quick staring contest at one another. She soon smiled, confusing Lincoln slightly on her sudden change in her expression.

"You're also cute to by the way"

With that, she turned her gaze to the bunk above her as the lights soon turned off, cutting everyones vision into pure blackness where nothing could be seen for a few seconds as their eyes adjusted to the lack of light. If the lights were still on, everyone would surely be able to see a furiously blushing Lincoln. Not because the girl called him cute, but because she heard him call her cute awhile back which he tried so hard to keep a secret.

Lincoln found himself laying down on his bunk a few seconds later, still contemplating the words he heard moments ago as if they held a secret meaning that could lead him to the next stage of his life. It felt strange honestly, not because a girl was probably interested in him in the slightest of ways, but because it felt like he could connect himself to this girl like he could with his sisters. And by now, Lincoln soon realized that even now she still didn't know this girls name. She must've magically heard his thoughts, because soon after he heard soft voice speak.

"My name's Ellie, by the way."

He faintly heard to his left where the girl was currently lying down on her mattress.

"Ellie, huh?" He thought as he rehearsed that name over and over in his head like a record player.

He smiled, glancing to his left to see if he could catch a glimpse of her, or at least an outlined frame of the now named, Ellie, just a few feet away beside him. He wasn't able to see her, but he could've sword that he saw those luscious green eyes staring at him while surrounded by pitch blackness; And it felt, relaxing to the point where he felt as if his soul being sucked out of him. His eyes began to grow heavy as his thoughts slowly began to fizzle up into nothing. And just like that, he fell into a deep slumber, waiting for the day to call upon him tomorrow where he'd surely, and hopefully befriend this girl that sparked his interest, this girl named...

Ellie.

* * *

 _Day Four_

 _._

 _26 Days Until Judgement Day_

The sun was high, and temperature much warmer than what a kid would wish to be standing outside in this blazing heat. Group B, marched back and fourth carrying boxes filled of resources that'll keep them fed, protect gear, and medical equipment just encase someone has ended with an injury that must be properly attended to. As they did this, they couldn't help but glare at Group A when they come across them, for the instructor has given them a much lighter task to be performed. They weren't mad because they had a lighter task, no; they were mad because Group A was able to work under shade, protected by the scorching heat from the sun that burned against the back of the necks of Forty-One sweating children.

Instructor Xiang, who surprisingly worked along side them told everyone to place their final box they had where they were stocking them in a small shed before heading to the mess hall for lunch.

Lincoln, who was currently sweating like a fountain as he busted his ass off in this heat could only let out a sigh in relief when he heard those words left the instructors mouth. The few days he's been here turned out to be complete torture on his weak, scrawny, and fragile body that he gave in on himself a few times under the amount of pressure from both, completing his portion of the heavy load and trying to keep the ruthless and unforgiving attention of the instructors off his shoulders. Every night he'd collapse on his bunk, physically and mentally drained since he couldn't keep up with the demands of his given tasks.

Chester, bless his caring heart, assisted Lincoln whenever he could to relieve some of the stress he's been dealing with. Lincoln could've sworn that Chester was one of those kids who mainly looked out for himself, like a lone wolf in a way. After all, due to the short conversation the two had the first night they were hear and the brief explanation on his background and why he was here, Lincoln didn't really know what else to think about him. That is until when he began to cover for him every time he couldn't continue, which happened more often than what he could ever bare himself to come to terms with.

Lincoln set his final box load down in a corner of a shed and couldn't help but bend place his hands on his bending knees that were screaming at him to rest.

"Good hustle out there, Link."

Lincoln saw another box drop next to his. He would've been startled by the sudden slamming if he weren't so damn tired. Lincoln stood to his full height before cracking his tensed spine that gave a sudden release to his back muscles. "Thanks..." He groaned out in relief while taking a glance at the person beside him. "Chester."

"You didn't need my help this time. I guess I can stop babying you pretty soon, am I right?" He smirked while they left the shed while the remaining children piled their boxes in.

Lincoln lightly scoffed. "Whatever you say."

Chester wrapped his arm around Lincolns neck as he squeezed his arm. "All that hard work seems to be helping you build some muscle. Shoot, by the time you get back home all of the ladies are gonna be fawning over you, just watch."

"I'm sure it takes much more than muscles to attract a girl, Chester." He rolled his eyes. "Besides, I'd doubt any older girl would try to date an eleven year old kid."

Chester gave a confusing glance at Lincoln as he let him go. "I was talking about girls around your age." The two stood in silence for a few seconds before a grin slowly began to spread across Chesters face. "Ooooo~ So Lincoln is into older girls huh?"

"W-What?!" He furiously blushed. "Why would you say that?"

"No reason, I just thought you liked that Ellie girl though." Chester grabbed Lincoln into a head lock before giving him a noogie. "You're not gonna turn into a player now are we?"

After a struggle, Lincoln was able to yank his head out of Chester's grasp before rubbing his lightly stinging head. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He replied with lightly annoyed tone.

The two entered the mess hall, where a rapidly growing line could clearly be seen stretching farther by the second. The two stepped in line, not wanting to be the last ones to get there tray as well as to try to hopefully be able to have a choice on the selection of meals they have today. As they now held their trays while choosing a variety of sides that would fill their growling stomachs for a few hours, Lincoln felt a nudge from Chester causing him to look at him.

"Cutey at our six." He spoke.

"...what?" He questioned, not understanding what me meant.

"Just, look behind you." He hissed.

Lincoln looked back, wondering who and what he meant only to catch Ellie sitting down in silence poking away at her tray while speaking to another girl.

"Ellie?"

"Uhhh... yeah man!" He pulled his shirt nervously, not that Lincoln could tell though. He wasn't trying to point out Ellie, rather he was trying to point out the girl she was speaking to, because honestly, she looked rather... dazzling in his eyes.

"Why would you want to point her out?"

Chester, already nervous about the whole idea about what he wanted to say, went along with Lincolns confusion as if there was nothing wrong. "You haven't spoken to her, much less try to get to know her at all this entire week!" He leaned into Lincoln whispering. "I saw those goo goo eyes you give her. I bet you would like to get a hold of her and just."

He then proceeded to make kissing sounds, much to Lincolns embarrassment.

"N-No man!" He almost, but thankfully didn't yell. He did not wish to gain anymore attention than what was already given to him. "I don't... like her like that."

And that was true, even if he thought Ellie was cute and attractive, he did not contain any feelings of romance for someone he just met four days ago. Maybe he would begin to feel something down the line, but chances of that happening with how long they'll be here together was quite slim. He didn't love her, he felt _drawn_ to her. Something about her just made him feel like he was still at home in a way, which was pretty odd if you could find that comfort in a girl you could hardly call a friend, but nonetheless, he did.

"I just..." They walked to their table as he continued, slightly hesitant and confused at first on what he wanted to say. "I don't know. I just feel a sense of comfort around Ellie I guess. I don't really know how to explain it, but it just feels... right, you know. Like I never left home in the first place." His head was down the entire time he spoke.

"...interesting." He heard someone reply, but it wasn't Chester's voice he heard, no it was far from it. It was feminine and...

right next to him?

Lincoln glanced to see that he and Chester came to a halt where Ellie was sitting with the girl that was accompanying her. The look on her face as she was staring at him with interest, yet in slight awe really struck him hard.

"I'd like to know more." She gave a faint smile as she rested her chin on her interlocked fingers.

Chester who had his mouth gaped open with a wide smile, let out muffled screaming laughs, not believing Lincoln actually said what he said next to her. "Lincoln, I wish I had your balls." He thought with slight joy.

Lincoln never felt so tensed in his life when he noticed his embarrassing mistake to the point where he's never felt so _open_ and vulnerable in his entire life. Here he was, pouring a little of the pent up emotions he had within him to someone he's known for only four days, only for the exact person he was speaking about to hear him as well. The only other time he's ever felt so humiliated was the time when his sisters insisted that the girl who was bullying him, Ronnie Anne, bullied him because she _liked_ him. They were right about her having feelings for him, but the response she first gave him seemed as if she didn't which left him walking inside with a black-eye and shattered pride. Those few minutes were the most, _humiliating_ moments he's ever felt since today.

"Hey, kid... helloooo~"

Lincoln came back to his senses when he realized that Ellie was trying to get his attention. "U-U-Um." He choked, not knowing what to say.

Ellie sighed, brushing a loose strand of her blond hair behind her ear. She decided to change the subject seeing that she wouldn't be able to get a response out of him anytime soon with all of his gibberish and heated cheeks which she found rather cute.

"What's your name?" She spoke, giving him something easy to answer.

"O-Oh." Lincoln gulped. "U-Uh... Lincoln." He hesitated.

"Well, it's nice to finally know your name Lincoln! I never had the chance to get your name the last four days." She spoke while scooting away from him, confusing him greatly.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds in awkward silence, Ellie already having enough of it, decided to say something.

"Well... are you going to sit?" She patted the empty bench next to her that she provided only seconds ago.

Lincoln looked at the seat, then at her before saying, "May I?"

She lightly giggled at his request to sit. It was as if he was confused that if he sat down, he would be invading her space without proper permission. "Of course."

"That means I could sit as well, right?" Chester spoke as he moved to sit across from Lincoln.

"No!" Ellie lightly glared." Not after you were cat-calling me the first night."

"Aw, come on! It was just joke." He pouted before looking at Lincoln. "Back me up Lincoln! Don't leave me alone."

"He's... he's fine." Lincoln managed to get out. "He helped me get through these last four days... so I owe a lot of gratitude to him."

Ellie lightly glared at Chester who was acting as if he was crying, and he was good, not that she knew of it of course. It made her feel like the bad person in this conversation, and she did not want to leave a bad reputation.

She sighed in defeat. "Alright, you can stay."

Chester's face instantly cleared of all and any signs of any tears that leaked out of his eyes before turning into a smile of flirtatiousness to the girl he sat next to.

"Good afternoon M'lady." He fiddled with his eyebrows.

"You were faking it!' Ellie almost practically yelled in shock and annoyance.

Chester ignored her as he kept his eyes looked onto the girl next to her. As every female in this _prison_ , she had her black hair tied into a bun. And unlike him, Lincoln, or Ellie, this girl had a much darker that she could be considered a colored person, to which she most likely is. Her eyes contained a chocolate brown color, and her skin smooth and gentle. It was everything Chester looked for in a girl.

"Um... hey?" She replied in a slight accent, but was not anything else other than American.

Even though it was normal english, you can hear the grinding of the words coming out differently like how country people speak their english, only this wasn't a country persons accent. It sounded rather... ghetto in a way, yet it wasn't, but Chester didn't care about that, he _loves_ accents, and this one could be a score for him if he played his cards right.

"What brings a pretty young thing like you down in this hell hole?" He lightly smirked.

And just like that, the door of opportunity slammed in his face.

She lightly glared back at him. "None of your _business_ , that's what." She growled threateningly.

Chester leaned away a bit, taken aback by her hostile attitude. "Woah, woah! What'd I say?"

Ellie let out a scoff. "You just met her, and your first question is wondering what she did?"

"I-I don't see the big deal about it." He replied. "I mean, we've all done something to end up in this place, s-so I'm just curious."

"Well maybe I don't want to remember." The dark-skinned girl replied with venom. "You could've introduced yourself first like how people typically do when they meet a new person."

Chester gulped lightly. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Just because you have a change of scenario, no matter where you end up, the majority of the time it's good to introduce yourself to someone before taking the step further to befriend each other.

"H-Hi." He hesitated before extending his arm for a handshake. "I'm Chester. What's your name?"

The girl looked at his hand for a split second before taking it. "Audrey." She replied.

Her bitter taste of him has now dissipated, but that didn't mean she had to smile and feel a wave of curiosity when meeting anew individual, which she didn't.

Ellie turned her gaze to Lincoln, a sense of interest beginning to creep its way into her thoughts about the boy she didn't think of other than another person that was locked up in here with her.

"So, Lincoln." She began, getting his attention. "You mind if I ask why you're here?"

" _*Cough*_ Hypocrite."

Ellie glared at Chester who whispered innocently while glancing away, acting as if he didn't say the insult she _knew_ he said only seconds ago. As she slowly turned back to Lincoln, she added on to her question. "But, if you don't want to say anything, it's fine."

"Broke my dads old high school graduation frame." Were the only things he said.

Ellie and Audrey looked at each other, taken aback by how... _innocent_ it sounded.

"So he sent you here to place like this because of that?" Ellie clarified.

He nodded without saying so much of a word.

"That's... stupid."

"That's what I thought!" Chester butted in.

"Shut up." Audrey spoke.

"...meanie."

* * *

"Lights out!" Instructor Xiang ordered as he began banging on the metal bunks with a baton he had signifying that it was now time to go to bed.

Lincoln laid on his bed as he stared at the mattress above him. Today has been as normal as the other days, except the fact that he's now befriended two new people that he'd surely get along with for the month to come. Audrey, surprisingly was bunking with Ellie which made him and Chester wonder how they've never noticed her presence before, but they never did question it, for they knew it would probably lead to some confusion and headaches they did not wish to go through. All in all, his day was pretty great, yet no matter what happened in the end of the day he always felt lonesome. Sure Chester and Ellie helped dim the effect of loneliness on him, but it still wasn't enough to subside the eleven years of bonding he's made with his _real_ family. He just felt, really homesick.

"Lincoln."

He faintly heard the gentle and comforting tone of Ellie from his bed.

"Yeah." He replied in a low whisper.

After the fourth day, he was able to see more of his surroundings in this area and adapt from the low to non-existent light, even by the slightest to it's environment. He turned his head to see Ellie, with her head on her pillow, gazing at the mattress above her. He could outline her facial features perfectly, her lips, her cheeks, her hair, her neck... her alluring green eyes. For the first time ever, he could see such vulnerability within her eyes to the point where she looked like a completely different person to him. If it wasn't for her recognizable features, he could've sworn that this wasn't Ellie, she looked so... scared. So weak, so fragile, so readable.

Ellie's worried gaze refused to give him even the slightest glance, maybe because she knew. She knew that he would be able to see her susceptible side that she dared not want anyone to see.

"Ellie? Are you... okay?"

She turned the other direction in fear that she saw who she really was. A fraud, a useless imbecile that shouldn't even be here in the first place and always relies on others to take care of her. She was just a sheep in a herd of wolves trying to be one of them, but in the end couldn't muster up the courage to actually _be_ one of them. That's who she was, that's who _Ellie_ was.

"I'm... I'm scared too, ya know."

Her eyes widened and her body stiffened in surprise when she heard what Lincoln said. She shuffled her body a bit to be able to see Lincoln in the corner of her eye without exposing too much of her face. He now had his gaze facing the mattress above him with his arms behind his head as it rested on his pillow. It made her feel strange to be honest, her stomach twisted, but in a good way, and a sense of feeling like someone can actually understand her filled her empty bones in a split second that she hoped that this wasn't a dream.

"I'll be honest with you." He spoke, the snoring of the children in the room masking his voice from anyone and everyone who may be still awake besides Ellie. "When I first crossed those gates, I was so frightened. Just the thought of having these... intimidating men forcing discipline into us the hard way made my skin crawl."

Ellie turned away once more, her expression now filled with disappointment and hurt knowing that he actually wouldn't understand her. He was just like every other stereotypical kid here, fearing the same exact thing like a herd they are.

"But... I came to realize after the third day that. I wasn't scared about any of that." He continued. "I wasn't scared about someone screaming in my face, or insulting and hurting me in any possible way. None of that bothered me at all."

He gulped, looking over to Ellie who was now looking at him with interest once more. "I'm scared... I'm scared of losing who I am." He finally answered. "I'm scared of becoming something I'm not. I could lose a lot of things Ellie, but..."

The two now locked eyes with one another, a deep synchronization seem to flow within the two. It was as if they were looking in a mirror, a reflective mirror that didn't give the slightest effort on concealing who they are, how they feel, and who they will probably turn out to be. It was like they were an open book filled with pages and pages of hidden secrets that were long forgotten deep within their hearts.

"If... I lose myself." He continued. "...then, what's left? What's left... when all of it seems... lost?"

 **(See what I did there? o3o No? Well fuck you then... jk)**

As the two continued to eye each other disorientated, yet suddenly feeling as if they began to discover and envisage the possibility of satisfaction and joy entering their lives.

"But, I'm not going to let that happen." He assured himself. "I'll get home, even if I have to march through the depths of the dark below to make it back. I'll do it, and I'll win."

The two stayed silent for a few seconds just staring at each other in a comfortable silence. It's been so long since Ellie felt this sort of tranquility envelop her in a warm, yet comforting invisible blanket. How she wish she could feel like this forever. This person before her, the one that suddenly unlocked the closed gates of her masked personality made her like this. She tried so hard to keep herself locked up this entire month, to give off the aura of a strong, and fearful girl. She wasn't saying she was weak, she knew she wasn't, but with the overwhelming sense of a pessimistic behavior taking control of her for so long, she felt as if she suddenly felt as if she wasn't alone anymore.

Lincoln extended his arm that enclosed their bunks by half the distance. He gulped, waiting for her to take his hand, if she would take his hand that is. He wanted to show her that he is, and should never question his companionship, because at this moment he felt and knew that it was as true as a lonely and undiscovered waterfall that hasn't been tainted with the hands of the human touch.

A warm embrace was felt on the palm of his young and growing hand that a wave of an even deeper understanding flowed up their arms and spread throughout their body. That's when he realized her gentle grasp on his. He couldn't help but think, that there could never and would never be a more beautiful moment than now. Their were very little windows in the barracks, yet a faintly glowing light was able shine on the two's entwined limbs that refuse to part from one another.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." Lincoln surprisingly found himself saying. "You're not alone."

Ellie didn't respond to his words, but the relaxation of her body told him that she understood him and allowed herself be overwhelmed with the feeling of being safe, protected, and warm. He watched as her eyes that wouldn't look away from his, slowly began to grow droopy, and her grasp on his hand weakened, letting him know that she was about to enter a deep slumber. Another minute passed, and he now watched her sleep peacefully as he held onto her limp hand that would surely fall limply beside her if he never continued to hold onto it. He wouldn't let go of her now that he uncovered her true self. Just like himself, Lincoln knew that she wouldn't make it through the month without going insane if she was alone, but she wasn't now. He was here, and perhaps Audrey and Chester would be if they could understand them like Ellie and himself understood each other.

"Never letting go." He weakly muttered out as he himself began to slowly lose himself to the wonders of sleep.

"Nev...r le...ing... go." He muttered again.

That line repeated itself through his head as his eyes closed on itself.

 _Never letting go. Never letting go. Never letting go._

He still held onto her hand, even though his mind was now placed in a deep slumber that forced his body his body to go limp, his arm that held onto her just wouldn't comply with the rest of him.

 _Never letting go._

* * *

 _*Flashback #1 End*_

It was dark again, his thoughts were blank and his senses were shut off, but no sooner he felt them slowly coming back to life.

"Lin...oln" He heard.

His eyes suddenly opened, but he closed them immediately since their was a blinding light that burned his pupils which he wasn't ready for.

"Lincoln!" He heard again

His eyes began to flutter, and no sooner his vision came back to life filling his eyes with the colors he's been empty of for a few seconds. His pupils landed on Lisa who lightly shook his shoulder.

"Lis?" He tried to get up to a sitting position, but a massive headache washed over his scalp causing him to grasp it in pain.

"Don't get up too fas _h_ t." She spoke while she assisting him to his feet.

After a few groggy seconds, he removed his hand from his scalp before looking at her and noticed everyone, besides his mom and dad was still there.

"How long was I in there?" He questioned. "And where's mom and dad?"

Lisa fiddled with her glasses before replying. "It's been approximately two hour, twenty minutes, and thirty four s _h_ econds. As for our biological parents, our mother couldn't take what she was s _h_ eeing so she left to her chamber along with our father to ass _h_ ist her cope with her emotional damage." She added. "Which was about five minutes ago."

Lincoln looked away from everyone in shame. It probably wasn't a good idea to show her parents, nor anyone the description of his past. Now that he's coming to think of it, it was probably all a big mistake he's placed on them all. They all suffered long enough, so there shouldn't be any case of him sharing the events that they sent him through.

"Lincoln?"

He looked up to see the twins, Lola and Lana moved their way in front of him before sitting down on both sides of him.

"It's not your fault that moms feeling bad." Lana said as she hugged him from his left. "I... I think it's good to get this out of your, and our system as well. So if you're thinking about stopping, then please don't."

"Yeah." Lola agreed as she as well hugged Lincoln from his right. "It's like... we're watching a movie. Just a movie." She pulled away from his shoulder and looked at his face, allowing the two to lock eyes with one another. "Besides, I wan't to see more of that Ellie girl. She looks really pretty honestly, even with the strict appearance they forced onto you guys, it was like it didn't matter if she followed it or not. She'd still be able to pull it off."

He chuckled at Lola's remark. But he didn't bother to reply to it, just the thought of her compliment about the girl he fell for made him happy. He looked over at everyone else who sat silently on the couch trying not to lock eyes with him after witnessing the beginning of his new life.

"How do you guys feel?' He questioned. "I don't want to continue if it makes you all uncomfortable."

The seven glanced at one another a few times, and as if they knew each others thoughts, they nodded before looking back at Lincoln who still awaited for his response.

"We'd... like to continue if it's okay." Lori spoke on behalf of them all.

"Yeah." Luna leaned back on the couch with her right leg over her left. "Seeing this gives me... inspiration in a way little bro." She scratched her cheek. "I'd like to make a song about it, perhaps more later on."

"Your grief yet undying search for light can help me take notes to improve my poetry." Lucy quickly said.

"I believe we all wish to continue Lincoln." Lisa summed up. "However, the reason why I pulled you out earlier was because your mind seemed to be, _malfunctioning_."

"Malfunctioning?" He raised an eyebrow. "How?"

'Well." She looked at her tablet. "When I sent your brain to relive its past moments, it seems to have taken an alternate route and suddenly began to think that it still resides in the past. The TV was buffering recently, like an interference was being made from a storm or something like that. I pulled you out because I didn't think it was safe to continue keeping you in a coma."

"So, what will I do if you can't look into my brain to relive my memories?"

"I have already conducted a s _h_ olution to the issue." Lisa answered. "We can s _h_ till continue the same as _h_ pects we've started with, however I can't allow you to be in that s _h_ tate of paralysis anymore than an hour and thirty minutes. Dis _h_ obeying these acts can permanently place you into a coma, much like Cardiac Arres _h_ t except this is due to your brain. You'd basically be living in the past forever."

"...that's risky." Lincoln lightly shivered. "i don't... I don't think I can do that."

After a few seconds Lisa laughed. "I'm just mess _h_ ing with ya. You'd only be as _h_ leep for a few days, but I do sugges _h_ t you don't stay in there any longer than an hour and a half."

"Dammit Lisa! You had me fearing for my life for a second!"

"I love you to brother." She lightly smiled.

"So, since we can't continue, and I'm pretty sure mom and dad would like to see this with us, what should we do?" Lynn questioned, bringing the room to a silence.

Lily jumped to her feet on the couch as she bounced on it. "How about a sleep over!" She cheered, her bubbly and childish charisma filled everyone's thoughts.

Leni squealed in delight "We've never had one of those since like, totes forever!" She exclaimed.

"Oh! That's a great idea" Luan agreed. "Coming to think of it, Lily, Lisa, Lola, Lana, it's getting way _pasta_ your bedtime." She grinned as everyone let out a groan or a small chuckle.

Lincoln smiled as he saw all of his sisters get along and talk with one another. It was a sight he's long since missed and enjoyed, and he knew that they all missed these moments with each other as well. No matter how annoying they can suddenly be.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **I don't know what to say, so leave a review telling me what you all think!**

 **And remember!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **I am now TheLivingMyth. Animelover54321 is DEAD and will never come back! :3**

 **(Same person by the way, just different name. If some of you think I am a hacker, then no. I am the same person. Trust me)**

 **PEACE!**

 **:D**

 **(Never Letting Go - By Vexento. Words inspired by his title and soothing song.)**


	5. Chapter 5

A week has nearly passed since the start of a journey into the depths of Lincolns memories. And it has been a binding of closeness with the family ever since the event. Lincoln managed to speak with his mother the morning after and was able to hear her personal regards to what she saw that day. She was saddened and felt a wave of panic and fear when she saw what took place the very first night of their arrival, but she couldn't expect nonetheless about places like that, how they drill a sense of ideology in young minds on how to think, feel, and act in society. She wasn't horrified by what she saw, but she certainly felt anger and fear for her child when she saw how the instructors treated them. It was like watching her son turn into a mindless robot she could say. She left after that, for she wasn't able to continue to stomach another second of what she saw or else she probably would've done something she would've regretted.

Lincoln took the pleasure to inform the rest of the video she missed through verbal communication. The introductions of himself and the first three friends that he's spent a decade of his life with, and the tender moment he shared with Ellie that night before they went to sleep. He saw in her mothers eyes that the pain within them healed a bit after hearing the _not_ so torturous moments. She cooed at him and teased him, saying that his son is such a _'gentlemen'_ and ' _knows his way with words'._ It made him fluster; Not being experienced with the teasing of his mother surely made things worse for him. Yup, it's been a rather hectic week full of charades by his mother, but at least she now seemed to calm down and not press the issue with him.

Lincoln walked through the front doors after coming back from his morning run again, as he did so he couldn't help but think that he needs to find a new hobby. Sure exercising is great, but making that your primary source of entertainment twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week is not what one would like to spend the rest of their youthful life doing. He walked up the stairs and made his way towards his bedroom all while thinking of the various possibilities of alternate ways of entertaining himself.

He could get a job? But that was a mandatory option to be able to live, and he sure as hell doesn't see himself working anytime soon after his short but bizarre adventures during the Marine Corps.

"I'll think of something later." He muttered as he placed his hand on his rooms doorknob before twisting it.

He then stopped himself when he heard a faint but noticeable, _eep!_ Coming from the other side of the door. He narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion before gently pushing the door forward to reveal his relatively small sleeping chamber. He took a step inside, staying silent as he listened to his surroundings trying to find the faintest of unusual sounds in his room. He took another step, the floorboard underneath him slightly squeaking due to its aged looseness from the rest of the others, and then he heard it. The swift sound of shuffling drew his eyes to pinpoint the source of the noise until it halted under his bed, and just sitting on the mattress was his suitcase he never opened since the day he came home. Not only that, but he noticed that someone was under his bed. He can hear it... he can _smell_ it.

Lincoln walked over to his bed and stood right on the edge, he could tell the person scooted him or herself as far back as she could because he heard a small _thump_ from the wall next to his bed. He then got on his knees and lifted the covers up to reveal the culprit who was no doubt guilty in searching through his personal items.

"Alright, come on out of there... Lana?"

Lana gave a defeated and sheepish expression while scratching her head. "Hehe... hi Lincoln."

"What are you doing in my room? ...more specifically hiding under my bed."

He took a few steps back to give his sister enough room to crawl out without being halted in any way. As he watched her do so, he noticed that she seemed to be hiding something for she wouldn't reveal her right hand that was concealed behind her back.

"Umm..." She twiddled her shoes on the carpet making small circles, all while seemingly hesitant and slightly fearful. "P... Promise you won't be mad at me?"

He raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by what she said. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"J-Just promise!" She snapped a little.

Lincoln raised his hands in a gesture for her to take it easy. "Okay, okay. I promise I won't be mad."

Lana gulped and bit her bottom lip before slowly allowing her right hand to reveal itself from behind her back exposing the hand-gun Lincoln kept concealed in his suitcase.

"You're holding... my 1911?" He spoke.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious about it." She held it out to him, the barrel of the gun pointing directly at him.

"Woah, woah. Point that thing somewhere else!" Lincoln held up his hands trying to put something between him and the 1911's line of sight.

Lana's eyes slightly widened while panicking. "O-Oh, s-sorry!"

Lincoln gave a breath of relief seeing that he was no longer in danger of an accidental discharge being sent right at him. "Rule #1! When holding a gun, never have the barrel pointing directly at someone unless they're attempting to harm you in any physical way." He went over and snatched the gun out of his sisters hands."Rule #2! Never grab my gun unless I give permission." He detached the magazine from the 1911, the top of the weapon popped back due to the action. He then began to fiddle around with the weapon, making sure nothing was damaged nor destroyed. Not that he expected it to be damaged anyway in the hands of one of his sisters, it's just a habit he's grown into to always make sure whatever weapon you're carrying is safely and surely operable. "And finally, Rule #3." He loaded the magazine back into the tube, allowing the slide to pop back in. "If ya wanted to learn how to shoot, you should've asked me." He smiled

Lana, who was now dumbfounded by his response could only wonder what her brother was thinking right now. "So~" She turned her face away a little but kept her eyes locked with his. "You're not mad?"

"No, I'm not." He laughed. "But you should've seen the look on your face when you thought I was!" He held his sides as his lungs continued to pump oxygen in and out rapidly due to his cackles. "I should've snapped a photo! Haaahahaha- _oof!_ " He fell to his knees holding his gut when he felt a punch landing on him. As he went down, he saw Lana as red as a tomato due to his teasing.

"You've had your fun. Now shut up!" She stormed out of the room; Not in anger, but the closest word she could think of was that she left in humiliation.

Lincoln groaned as he let out a few coughs due to the laughs that slowly emerged from his lungs even after being jabbed in the gut. "I love you to, sis." He slowly pushed himself on his feet, swallowing the built up saliva that manifest itself from his esophagus. He didn't mean to make Lana run out on him like that, he just thought that she'd find it as hysterical as he had. He'd have to make it up to her, that he won't forget.

A knock from the threshold of his door gained his attention, and his eyes locked with his comical sister Luan.

"Hey, Linc! Mom and Dad made breakfast as well as _huge_ stack of toast. Looks like our early morning meal is gonna be _toast_ -ally delicious! Haha, get it?!" She grinned.

He smiled, a small chuckle escaped from his lips. "Yeah, haha. I get it." He exited his room to follow Luan to the kitchen.

"So, you went out on your run again?" She question, intending to have some small talk with the man beside her.

"Yeah, I did. How'd you know?"

The two descended down the stairs, taking their time as they did so.

"Well, it's always your morning routines." She glanced at her brother, flashing a smile as she did so. "And I can smell the sweat coming off you."

"Oh shoot." He palmed his face. "I forgot to take a shower before I came back. Sorry for bothering you with it."

"It's fine. It doesn't have a strong odor nor is it suffocating." She explained. In truth, she kinda likes the smell in a way. Would she like it all the time? No. But once in awhile is fine. "Plus the deodorant you put gives it a boost of a fruity smell."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that good?"

"Yeah, and don't worry about your odor either. I've smelled a lot worse sweat odors these last ten years."

"Like what."

"Nothing I'd like to talk about." She answered while remembering the smells of her and her sisters during their time of _need_. Yup, sometimes you'll be walking down the hall way and the stench would punch you straight in the face when you pass a room. That's why everyone decided to buy some air-fresheners for their rooms encase someone decides to relieve a little stress. "Hey Linc?"

"Yeah?"

She scratched her chin, faintly glancing away due to the question she had in mind. "Are you sexually active?"

If his family didn't have a history of heart attacks, then the legacy of that happening should be placed on their family history records right about now. Lincoln felt a jolt of pain in his chest due to the unexpected question her sister asked him. It was like someone jabbed him a large amount of times in a split second.

"W-What?!" He nearly shouted. "Why the hell would you wanna know that?!"

The two were now at the bottom of the steps, but didn't make a step towards the dining room.

"I don't know." She shrugged. " _Sex_ -cuse me for my sudden topic change." She grinned while holding back a chuckle.

Lincoln, even though in the midst of a personal and humiliating topic couldn't help but let out a few light giggles. "I'll give ya props for that." He smiled before continuing to the kitchen where his family were surely gathered. "And to answer your question..." He scratched the back of his neck, unsure on how he should say it. "Yes, I am. About a month before I turned into the age of 16 honestly."

*Heart attack*

Now it was Luans turn to feel the shock that smashed against her ribs. "FIFTEEN!" She mentally yelled. She wanted to dig more into the matter, but they were now in the kitchen where the rest of the family was sitting enjoying another friday together.

"Lincoln! You left without me this morning!" Lynn spoke.

"You didn't wake up, so I thought you were catching up on some sleep."

"She slept through her alarm." Lucy neutrally answered the way she always speaks; Yet you could also hear a hint of annoyance as well. "I wasn't able to have my last two hours of sleep."

"I said I was sorry." Lynn groaned while resting her chin on her palm. "

Lincoln gave a grin to Lynn to which she caught on to. She responded by sticking her tongue out before stabbing her fork into a piece of sausage and stuff it in her mouth. His grin remained for a few more seconds before taking his seat. He looked around the table to see his family happily eating while socializing with one another like usual. His eyes then landed on Lana who was poking at her plate, slowly eating while her eyes were filled with hurt and annoyance. He felt a huge wave of guilt knowing that he was most likely the cause of her current self-esteem. And seeing the unintentional effect he had on her only fueled his intentions to make it up to her even more, that he'll surely do.

"Oh, Lincoln."

His father took his attention away from his train of thoughts. He looked at his father who sipped his mug of coffee before tossing him an envelope from across the table.

"This was addressed to you in the mail. I didn't open it, but it doesn't have a return address so I don't know who sent it."

Lincoln picked up the paper and saw that he was indeed telling the truth. "Lincoln Loud, 1213 Franklin Ave; Royal Woods, Michigan." He muttered.

He tore it open just as his mother placed his breakfast and cup of coffee in front of him, much to his gratitude. As he did so, he pulled out a folded paper that he opened that revealed the countless of words on the paper.

 ** _Dear Lincoln:_**

"It's a letter eh?" He thought. Eating in silence, his eyes skimmed the paper reading the every word detail for detail. He took a hold of the cup of coffee his mom prepared for him and went to take a sip of it. As the brown liquid entered his mouth, he suddenly choked after reading a few words that he didn't expect to read.

The multitude amount of coughs gained the attention of the table.

"You alright there, sport?" Lynn Sr questioned, thinking that his son just got something stuck in his throat.

He ignored his fathers concerns as he continued to read the paper, his eyes not believing what he read while doing so. "Fucking hell." He muttered softly enough so that no one was able to hear his use of language.

He felt and saw a feminine hand rest on his shoulder causing him to look up. His mother was eyeing him, impatiently and worriedly waiting for a response.

"You okay, Sweetie?"

Lincoln gulped, still feeling a lump in his throat that wouldn't go down. "Yeah." He let out another light cough. "I'm okay, just had something stuck in my throat."

After getting the _everything is alright_ signal from him, everybody continued there daily breakfast like usual for a few more minutes. The entire time, Lincoln skimmed over the piece of about three or more times, not believing what he just read.

"Alright kids, time for school." Lynn Sr announced which was soon followed by the annoyed groans of Lola and Lana as they grabbed backpacks. Lily and Lisa following shortly after.

"I'll never stop loving that depressing sound." Lucy stated with a very faint smile.

"Don't push it!" Replied the annoyed tone of Lola.

"Alright champs." Lynn got to her feet. "I'd love to sit and chat, but I gotta get to work." She stood and left the dining room as well.

As soon as she got out, she felt someone grab her hand causing her to glance behind her.

"Say, Lynn. Is there any chance you can skip work today?"

 _Two hours later_

Lynn and Lincoln pulled up into the armed forces career and recruiting station that sat near a couple of fast food joints. As soon as they did so, he stepped out of the vehicle shortly followed by Lynn, much to his confusion.

"You're gonna come inside with me?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Well it was just going to be a quick in and out ya know." He stated.

"I'm still coming anyways, I've always wanted to see how the inside of these places looked like."

He shrugged, not really minding nor trying to debate her out of this one. "Alright, come on."

The two walked in through the front glass door that led them into a really large hallway. In the hall way were four door, two on each end with a label explaining each branch the military contains.

The first two they walked across were the Navy which was on their left, and the Air Force, on their right. Both of them had their doors open and you could see a few recruiters inside as well as a couple of civilians interested in joining one of those branches. After walking a few more steps, they came up on the Army, on their left; And the Marines, on their right. The two walked through the Marines opened door, it looked like a regular office actually, but with pictures and slogans of the Marines and who they are.

Lynn eye'd the posters around them and spotted a poster of Uncle Sam pointing at whoever was looking at them. The words on the slogan were, _'I want you to be a U.S Marine'_. There was another slogan saying, _'The Few, The Proud, The Marines'_ To put it simply, you could see various of these posters on the walls around the office, and at one end was the Chain of Command, meaning that these were the people in charge that makes the calls about what happens in the military

"These people are surely proud of their legacy." She thought.

"Can I help you two?"

Her thoughts were cut short when she saw another man, well under the age of thirty and physically healthy walked up to the two.

"Ah, yes." Lincoln replied. "I was notified that I had a package sent to this address and would be in this room."

"Ah, a package eh?" The man replied. "Sorry I don't know anything about that." He glanced back before calling out to another recruiter. "Hey Marquez, do we have a package?"

Marquez shrugged. "I don't Smith." He turned to the next recruiter. "Hey Daniels, do we have a package?"

Daniels also shrugged. "I don't know Marquez." He turned to the next recruiter. "Hey Carlos, do we have a packa-"

"Cut the shit guys." An african-american man came out of a room after speaking with another teenager interested in the joining them.

"Oh, come on Jackson. We can't have a little fun?"

"If that's what you want representing our Corps then you might as well shut the hell up." He stated before looking at Lincoln. "Name?"

"Lincoln Loud." He responded without a moments hesitation.

"Loud eh?" He hummed before nodding. "Yeah, I think we got a box in the back. Give me a minute." He turned and left searching for the requested item he was looking for.

"Hey, man!"

Lincoln turned to see, if he could remember his name correctly, was Daniels sitting comfortably on the office couch. "Why is there a package for you here anyways?"

"I received a letter from a few friends still on active duty saying that he sent a package for me in the local recruiting station." He answered.

"Why didn't he just send it to you in the mail?"

Lincoln shrugged. "Something about, not trusting the Postal Services after losing his rifle he mailed a few years back." He answered.

"Well, shit."

"Wait." Carlos butted in. "You said, friends who are _still_ on active duty." He paused for a second. "Were you in the Marines before?"

"4 years, been retired for a few months already." He smiled while nodding.

"No shit, so what ranked you reach before calling it quits?"

"E-8." He replied.

"Bullshit!" Smith stated. "There's no way you can be that high in just four years."

By then, Jackson returned holding a large box long in width. "MSgt Loud, eh?" He called out while handing the box to him. "Looks like the rumors about a badass Marine climbing the ranks quick these last three to four years were true."

"Hold up!" Marquez joined the conversation. "So this guys the real deal?" He narrowed his eyes with caution. "I aint buying it."

"You don't have to." Lincoln smirked. "Doesn't change the fact that I am though." He taunted.

Jackson chuckled. "Well, it was nice seeing you in the flesh Sgt."

"Ex-"

"Yeah, yeah whatever." He smiled.

"Man!" Carlos smiled as he began to enter a fantasy world. "I wish I could be you! Just imagine the respect you'd been getting. Not to mention the ladies grinding all up on you eh?!" He made some swirling motions with his hips acting as if he was smacking an ass that was pushed up against his groin.

"That's nasty Carlos!" Marquez expressed a face of disgust. "Imagine the STD's you'd be attracting. Hell by the end of the month you'd be infested with fucking herpes and shit."

"Oh shut up, Marquez." He replied. "We all know you'd be doing the same thing." There was a pause in the air, nobody spoke for a few seconds until Marquez replied.

"Yeah, I know."

Marquez, Carlos, Smith, and Daniels started laughing after that.

"Those idiots." Jackson muttered.

"Hey Carlos." Lincoln spoke. "In a way, I wish you could've been me as well." He blankly replied as his eyes were as emotionless as one could be. Before turning away, he gave his gratitude to the man who fetched him his package. "Thanks for the package, Jackson." He thanked. "Come on, Lynn. Lets go."

The two left the office in silence to do whatever they were going to do next.

As soon as they disappeared through the doors, Carlos crossed his arms. "Man, what's his problem?"

"I don't know, maybe he go butthurt?" Daniels replied.

"Shut up guys." Jackson insulted. "That man has done and seen some things I'm sure none of you has ever seen during the half of your entire military career."

"How the hell do you know that?" Smith questioned.

"You can see it in his eyes, Smith." He answered. "He's a warrior in pain. Lost in an unending maze that has yet to shine an exit." He sighed. "He's hurting real bad, and he sure as hell is doing a good job concealing it."

The room was filled with silence once more as they all looked among one another. each of them not knowing what to do or say next.

"Alright, lets get back to whatever the hell we were doing." He ended the silence, getting everyone to continue whatever activity they were participating in. As they did so, Jackson looked at the door Lincoln walked out only minutes ago and softly muttered. "Semper Fi, brother."

 _Outside of the armed forces career station_

The walk to Lynn's truck was spent in silence after the events that just took place. It felt, awkward. Or at least to Lynn that's how she felt. She wanted to say something about it, to question Lincoln why he said what he said back there. Because even she knew that the recruiters there were only having some fun, yet Linc seemed to take it rather seriously which unnerved her to bring it up. So she didn't press the issue because she knew that he would say something when he deems the time is right.

...if that time would ever come, that is.

Thinking quickly to start a conversation with him, her thoughts reverted to the long box he carried to her truck.

"So, what's in that box that requires your attention?"

"I'll show you in a sec if you're really that interested." He answered. Seeing that they were literally a few feet away from the truck, he requested assistance to let the rear trunk for Lynn's truck to be opened. "Can you open the trunk so I could easily slide this box on it?"

"Sure." She took the lead, proceeding to lower the trunk to allow better access for Lincoln to release the box without adding any more effort than he's already giving while carrying it.

After setting it down, Lincoln grabbed a pocket knife he kept hidden in his back pocket and cut the blue tape that sealed the package shut. He opened it, pushing the foam balls aside to get to the item buried inside it. He managed to grab a hold of the item inside it and lifted it out, it was another package. But this looked more like a case than a package. It had a long width, probably about 42 inches or a bit shorter and colored black. It was also sealed shut with two locks that would be easily opened by flipping the locks up like a light switch. He pushed the cardboard box away and set the black colored case before him and opened the case; And inside, surrounded by foam, was an M4 Carbine Rifle with ACOG Optic sights.

"Motherfucker." He admiringly spoke as he stared at the rifle. HIS rifle. "He was able to get it for me." His eyes filled with disbelief yet joy, he carefully picked up his rifle as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. He examined every inch, every corner, every nook and cranny he remembered cleaning and polishing after every successful deployment.

"What's with you and guns now." Lynn suddenly spoke, gaining his attention in the process. "You're not becoming a redneck on me are you?" She couldn't help but smirk at her cheesy comparison.

Lincoln lightly laughed as well letting Lynn know that he was humored by her choice of words. "No, No I'm not." His eyes reverted back to his rifle. "This girl." He referred to his firearm. "Has been with me through thick and thin. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her protection."

Lynn connected one and one together, and began to understand the words in his voice. "So..." She started. "This is the rifle you used when you were..."

"Yeah." He scoffed in delight. "I thought I'd never see her again neither. But here she is."

"You talk as if she's apart of you?" She questioned. "Why is that?"

Lincoln remained silent for a bit, his eyes not breaking away from the deadly firearm he gently, yet firmly held. "This is my rifle." He began. "There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless." He placed the rifle back in the box, gently and comfortably laying between the layer of foam. "Without my rifle... I am useless." He breathed a heavy sigh before looking at Lynn. "Those are a fraction of the words I used from the Rifleman's Creed. They may be only mere words, but I take them to heart." He concluded. "An oath every rifleman takes when issued their rifle."

Lynn gulped the lump that she didn't know was clogging her throat. Those were one of the most strongest, and passionate words she's ever heard in her life. It had such an effect on her, that she wanted a rifle of her own now. "Goddamn it, now Imma be a redneck." She thought.

After a few minor seconds of bickering in her head, her eyes caught the sight of a white paper folded up in the case. "And what's that?" She gestured with her chin to the thin layer of paper in the case.

When Lincoln laid eyes on the paper, a grin began to grow wider and wider across his face until it felt as if it stretched from ear to ear. It's been close to 4 years, and for years he's been living in the hospitality of his beloved Corps without accepting a single paycheck. People called him crazy, but if they're literally housing and feeding you, then everything else is only a want, not a necessity. He grabbed the paper, flipped it open, and noticed there was a note attached to it.

 ** _'Hey Lincoln! How's it feel to finally get paid?! I still can't believe you didn't take anything until the end of your career. I wasn't suppose to look at your check, but I had to. And dear god, I am so fucking pissed at your white-ass right now! With how fast you soared through the ranks, and how much you've done for this branch, these fuckers actually gave you a huge bonus without you signing a damn contract! You better give me the 20$ you owe me next time I see you Mr. I'm half a millionaire. But other than that, everyone here misses ya man! I miss ya too, and we're worried for your mental state as well. But I'm sure we'll cross paths soon. ...you'll be surprised ;) ~Chester'_**

Lincoln couldn't help but smile as he read the short letter word for word. As he did, he couldn't help but feel a shiver go up his spine when he read the last three words. Something tells him that it may happen during a real unexpected event. His eyes reverted back to the check that was sent to him, and realizing that Lynn was still waiting for his response, he extended the paper to her, to which she confusingly eye'd him for.

"How about you see for yourself?" He answered, his smile not leaving his face

Lynn, filled with curiosity, slowly took the paper from his hands before examining the paper herself. The layout seemed familiar to her, for it was how she usually gets paid by receiving a check. So she skimmed her eyes down to the amount, and couldn't help but feel as if her eyes exploded at what she saw.

"678k..." She was barely able to mutter after a few tense seconds of shock. "678k." She muttered again.

Lincoln eye'd her sister, finding humor in the way she expressed herself after gaping at the paper on her hands. It was amusing, yet it concerned him as well after witnessing how she acted, which resembled a broken record player set on repeat. "Lynn?" He grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a little bit hoping to receive any sort of signal of anything habitual. His hopes were answered when she looked at him, still in slight shock but sane enough to have a conversation.

"W-what the..." The words stumbled out of her lips

"Save it." He stopped her. "I'm just as surprised as you are. But right now, money isn't important." He took the check out of her hand; Giving one last look at it, he brought out his wallet and slide it into the thin layers for safe keeping. After that, he closed the rifle case he was given and slid it to the back of the truck before closing the trunk. He then went over to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened it, taking another look at Lynn seeing as she hasn't moved an inch since he stopped her, he spoke. "Well, are we headed to Royal Woods High, or what?"

Lynn seemed to snap out of it, because the next thing she did was nod before heading over to the drivers seat. She turned her vehicle on after fastening her seat-belt, and pulled out of the driveway heading towards Royal Woods High.

* * *

Royal Woods High was a rather big school. Being the only public High School within a Fifteen-Mile Radius, Royal Woods took the burden of taking many students in to there school, thus forcing it to grow or be overly-packed. Out of 1k+ students attending the school, we find Lana sitting down in the middle of the classroom on the second floor, twiddling her pencil between her fingers in boredom.

It was third period, her eyes reverted to the clock to see that nearly half of the school hours had subsided since then. After checking the time, she zoned out everything, and everyone around her as her mind entered the chambers of a vacant and desolate recollection. It was rare for her to enter this kind of mindset, and if it did happen, it wouldn't last for long. Lana is an improviser, a huge thinker that wouldn't let her thoughts rest no matter how tired she can get. Whether it was to overcome an obstacle, or just recalling memories of the past, her mind is always occupied. To her dismay, she thought back to the events that took place this morning with her brother. She was an idiot for doing what she did, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to know more of who and what her brother has become. She admit that breaking into his room just to find something, anything that could give her a bigger picture of what and why's he's changed.

Yes, changed.

Dare she say it, but Lincoln isn't the same person as she remembered him to be. It may have fooled her family _and_ herself at one point, but not anymore. She saw it everyday when she looked at him, and the way he hid it was like no other she's ever seen before. He was a shadow standing in pure daylight, but wasn't cleansed by it at all. He walked around as if nothing was wrong, he talked as if nothing was wrong, and he enjoyed being with them as if nothing was wrong. Sure he said that he'll talk to them whenever he feels ready, and he sure has been trying and showing them as much as he possibly could. But she knew that he didn't... he _wouldn't_ try any harder than he already is. And that was killing her because she knew he could, but he refused to do so. So why is he pent up like this, why wouldn't she talk to her, to her sisters, to anyone?! He was a bomb, a deadly, deadly bomb waiting to be set off.

She remembered him and Ellie speaking to each other last friday, the tender moment they had with each other expressing their fears to each other. Synchronizing with each others heart-beats like no other had ever done. She recalled the fear the two simultaneously held.

 _"I'm scared... I'm scared of losing who I am."_

Those words resurfaced in the very top of her thoughts. Those words _molded_ itself into her brain as she restated them over and over like she was trying to find a secret meaning behind them. She didn't want to believe what she thought was true, but if what her notions says is accurate, then something must be done about it.

Lincoln Loud, her beloved brother who always looked out for them all like he was the eldest sibling, _has_ , and truly lost sight of who he was. ...But how?

The phone in the class rang, stopping whatever lesson the teacher was educating to his students as well as halting Lana's thoughts. The teacher picked it up, and after a few seconds of talking and humming in agreement and understanding, he hung up the phone before looking at her.

"Lana." He spoke. "Grab your things, you're being picked up early."

The class reverted to mutters of how lucky she was to be able to leave this place so early. But what they didn't know, was that she had no idea on why she was being let out early either. She didn't have any doctor or dentist appointments today, so why? She grabbed her things and walked down the row to the front of the classroom ignoring the looks of jealousy she got before walking through the door, exiting the classroom..

The walk to the main office was vacant, for all the students were in the middle of class. The only students you'd be able to see in the hallways were either those who had a free period because they have more credits than the average student to graduate; those with a hall-pass to go to the restroom, locker, or to the health/attendance office; and then those who were skipping class. She paid no mind to them all as she continued her stroll down to the main office, looking for the familiar face that called for her. She soon spotted the person responsible for her early release just standing outside the main office, waiting for her.

"Lynn... Lincoln?" She called out, gaining the two's attention.

Lynn turned towards Lana and smiled. "Yo, sis!"

"What are you guys doing here?" She questioned

Lynn, not knowing that Lincoln wanted to hold off on the matter for now, began to speak once more. "Well, Lincoln want-"

"Ah, Lynn." He stopped her. "I don't want her to know what I have in store for her just yet." He turned to Lana, who skeptically eye'd him. "Shall we go then, before they figure out that we're not your actual parents."

Lincoln and Lynn began to head to the entrance/exit of the school, leaving Lana to curiously wonder why they're here before following after them.

* * *

Lynn drove down a dirt filled road, isolated from civilization and society alike. It's been about thirty minutes since they left Royal Woods High, and about twenty minutes since they left Royal Woods itself. The three sat quietly, Lynn keeping her eyes on the road, Lincoln observed their surroundings as if he was searching for something, and Lana leaned against the window staring out in boredom.

"Might as well left me back at school if we don't know what the hell we're doing." She thought.

"You sure you know where you're going Lincoln?" Lynn questioned, not liking how far they've gone from the nearest gas station.

This would surely take a good 20$ to refill... okay maybe a little less. Her Gas mileage is pretty good, being able to go 40 miles to the gallon was no concern to her at all. The only concern was that if she knew they were gonna go this far, she would've filled the tank before they left Royal Woods. She wasn't running empty, but it was surely getting there.

"I think we've gone far enough." He proclaimed, causing Lynn to pull over to the side of the road into the large grassy plains surrounding them as far as the eye could see.

Lana hopped out of the back seats of the truck, closing the back door as she did "Why are we all the way out here?"

"Because Lana, my dear little sis." He opened the back door, digging under the seat before pulling out his brown suitcase he kept with him. He opened it up, taking out his 1911 and loaded the magazine into it, making it give off a few familiar _*clicks*_ in the process. "I felt... miserable for how I made you feel this morning." He answered. "I really... really am sorry for what I said. I thought you'd laugh along with me... but looks like my judgement said otherwise." He closed the back door, making his way around the truck to stand in front of Lana. He held the handgun out, surprising her by what he held. "And I'd like to make that up to you, so how about I teach you how to shoot a gun?"

Lana stood silent, unsure if she should grab the object before her or not. Sure she wanted to fire it, to see how it sounded, how it felt. She wanted to feel the amount of force it let out, to hear the bang echo across the skies. But that wasn't the main reason she held it for in the morning. Like she thought of earlier today, she wanted to connect herself more into Lincoln's separate/past life. And holding this gun, in a way made her feel like she lived a part of it that she had yet to understand.

She hesitantly reached out and took the gun from him, feeling the rough edges of the object as she gently ran her thumb across the hilt. "Are... are you sure?"

He smiled. "Of course I'm sure, what else would I bring you out here for?"

"Well, you could've taken us to a shooting range." She countered.

"Yeah, but it cost like... thirty bucks to get in. Plus this is your first time, so you might break something that I have to replace." He replied.

"But what am I going to shoot?" She looked around, seeing nothing in sight she could use as a target.

He went over to the back of the truck before pulling out a large trash bag filled with empty cans and glass bottles. "This is what we're going to shoot." He said. "I'm gonna place it on that small boulder there, and we'll see how good your aim is." He pointed at a flat shaped boulder about fifty yards away from where they stood. "If you get good enough, and if I deem you're ready." He set the bag down, which caused the cans and bottles to rattle against each other. He then reached inside the back of the truck once more before pulling out his rifle case and opened it up, taking out his M4 Carbine. "I'll let you fire this beauty a few times."

Lana examined the new firearm she hadn't seen, taken back by it's sudden appearance and ownership to her brother. "When the hell did you get that?!"

"A few hours back."

"We're not rednecks Lincoln."

"That's what I said!" Lynn proclaimed.

"Why am I being compared to a redneck of all people for christ sake?!" He nearly shouted in confusion, demanding for an answer. "You know what, forget what I said." He stowed the rifle in the case once more, pushing it aside until he deems the time is right. "Would you like to give it a shot?" He questioned.

Lana looked down at the handgun in her hand for what felt like the 100th time. After a brief silence, she gave her full attention to her brother once more, her eyes shining brightly as a smile plastered itself on her face. "Heck yeah!" She cheered.

Lincoln smiled, after placing a few cans and bottles on the boulder a distance away from them, he approached Lana who impatiently waited for instructions. "Alright, get a good and comfortable grip first, make sure your legs are stable on the ground, and aim at one of those bottles."

She did as he instructed, eyeing at a bottle in the center. "Okay." She spoke, letting him know she was ready for further instructions.

"Never put your finger on the trigger unless you're ready to fire, and if no one or nothing is in your way that isn't your target which could potentially be injured." He clarified. "Now, there's quite a bit of a strong breeze coming from our right, so you _may_ have to aim a little bit to the right of your target so you won't miss."

She did as he suggested, her eyes as sharp as she could ever make them out to be. She stalked her target in a way, making it seem like she was an eagle.

"Fire when ready." He muttered.

She stood as motionless as one could be. The eyes of her brother and sister felt like it was carving into her, just waiting to make a slip up. And that's what riled her up. Her arms began to shake, and her fingers twitchy causing her to pull the trigger. The bullet escaped the barrel as it whistled across the open field. And instead of hitting her target, it smashed against the boulder, sending tiny dust particles soaring in the air as it was taken by the breeze of the wind.

"Damn it." She cursed at her slip up.

"It's alright." Lincoln assured "Not everyone gets it their first time. Just breath Lana. Breath and try it again."

She sighed, feeling the fear of her letting herself, and her siblings down fade away. Her arms ceased to tremble, and her fingers no longer twitching. She took another deep, and calming breath. As soon as her lungs were completely filled with oxygen, she pulled the trigger; Sending the second bullet whistling through the air.

*Shatter*

The remnants of the glass bottle fell onto the field, broken into tiny shards, some too small to be visible to the human eye. Lana released the built up oxygen she held, satisfied by the outcome of her second shot.

"Nice shot!" Lincoln praised. "I'm sure Lynn couldn't pull half of what you did."

"Hey!" Lynn shouted, clearly taking offense to his insult. "I didn't even have my turn yet!"

"Exactly." He smirked, leaving Lynn fuming even more than before. He reverted his attention back to Lana, his smirk being replaced by a smile. "You wanna continue practicing?"

As soon as those words entered her ears, she only had two words to say to him.

"Fuck yeah!"

* * *

After an enjoyable three hours of shooting practice, the three were back at home now sitting on the couch being lectured by their parents.

"Lola said she didn't see you the whole day and that you didn't walk home with her either!" Rita spoke as she looked at Lana. "I called the school and they said that we came by to pick you up. And then we find you two." She looked and Lincoln and Lynn who sat silently. "Dragging Lana around with you to who knows where!"

Lynn Sr nodded. "Yeah! Where did you take your sister? And what were you doing?" He crossed his arms, an authoritative glare aimed at the two older children in the matter.

"We, uh." Lincoln gulped as he chuckled nervously. "I wanted to... make something up to Lana over something I did earlier this morning that made her... sad."

"And that was?"

He grabbed the collar of his shirt and stretched it a bit. "Let her... fire my gun?"

"You have a gun?!" Rita stated. "Since when?!"

"Since... the first day I came back." He answered, surprising her mother even more. "It's no ordinary firearm, it belonged to someone that I hold to dearly in respect for."

Rita sighed, rubbing her forehead wondering what she should do. "Alright." She began, "But it must _never,_ under any circumstances be left out in plain sight! We still have Lily, and she's still a curious child that likes to grab a hold of new things that she could play around with."

Lincoln rose his hands in front of him. "I promise." He said. "I'll make it seem like there was never a firearm in this house in the first place."

Rita gave a faint, but noticeable nod. Feeling like her job is done, she departed from the living room couch, heading to the kitchen to prepare herself and her families daily meal.

Lincoln felt a tap on his shoulder and saw that the person responsible was his father. "Your mother would think lowly of me if she heard me say this, but maybe, if you would that is, could teach me how to handle a firearm?" He questioned.

Lincoln let out a snicker, finding amusement in his fathers secretive negotiation behind his mothers back. "S-Sure dad." He wheezed out. "I'll show ya the ropes."

Lynn Sr nodded in appreciation as he decided to make his short journey to his chamber, all while letting out a soft cheer in success.

"Our families weird." Lana voiced the three's current thoughts at the moment.

"Uh huh." Lynn mumbled out.

 _A few hours later_

Lisa was seen in the living room hooking the cords for her memory reader into the TV once more. Since a full week has passed after they last sent their sibling to venture into the depths of his memory, she knew that he was given enough time to readjust himself back into a normal state of mind. After discussing it with him once more during dinner, asking if he was okay to continue where they left off, he agreed to her inquiry. She was sure her, and the rest of her siblings were slowly beginning to grow agitated on the matter, so bringing it up surely gained their attention in a heartbeat. That's when she knew that they wanted to ask him the same thing, but were too fearful of requesting something that was more than personal for someone of his background. So imagine their excitement when he agreed.

Lincoln didn't mind reliving past memories he had with the people he cherished the most. It was the fact that he'll once again feel the pain he experienced that made him feel apprehensive of doing it. Though as much as he'd hate to feel that type of misery once more, he remembered praying to whatever holy being up there to just allow him the chance to feel the unique joy he had experienced with his... family. With Chester, Audrey... and Ellie. His prayers were answered, it seemed; When Lisa informed him of that possibility to feel true joy once more, he couldn't believe it. But now he could, for he could now recover small bits of forgotten details of his reminiscence he'd enjoyed.

"Lincoln, it's ready for whenever you are." Lisa's voice resonated through his ears.

He gave her a small nod, laying down on the makeshift bed before him and slipping the helmet on once more. He closed his eyes and waited for the _dreaming_ to once again commence. And then a random thought filled his head. With the paycheck he was given, and his five older sisters pretty much working on their own careers making a good amount of pay, and Lori beginning to advance out of her minimum wage paying job down in Burpin Burgers...

this family is pretty much a millionai-

His thoughts were once again shut down as he slowly began to reemerge into the life he's once lived.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **Chapterrrrr... 5?**

 **Is completed! Next chapter we shall dig more into Lincolns past and the adventures he's went through. Are you excited?! I know I am... maybe... o3o fuck you.**

 **Okay, okay! Loud House characters like Ronnie Anne will not appear next chapter, but perhaps I will give an insight of who she turned out to be the chapter after that AND reunite her and Lincoln again. Will they try to reconnect their relationship of boyfriend and girlfriend? We'll see when the time comes.**

 **Tell me how you guys think of this, I tried to make this as interesting as possible but I wanted to add some things that would be mentioned and answered later in the story. Thank you all for reading, and as always!**

 **I'll see you guys, when I see you guys**

 **PEACE! :D**

 **P.S. STOP ASKING ME WHAT HAPPENED TO ELLIE! ... please ;3**


	6. Chapter 6

_*Flashback*_

 _._

 _Day Twenty-Six_

 _._

 _Four Days Until Judgement Day_

* * *

*Thump* ...*Thump* ... *Thump*

Lincoln casually laid on his bunk tossing a small rubber ball against the wall in boredom. It's been nearly a month in this... _prison,_ like enclosure. Much of it was spent doing whatever the instructors ordered them to do, meaning they'd be passed around the base like a virus doing whatever chores needed to be taken care of. He and his fellow... _inmates,_ had pretty much done almost every kind of chore one child could think of. They cleaned toilets, trimmed bushed, cut the grass, restocked their food storage when the trucks containing edibles arrived.

Unloading the truck was probably the job they enjoyed the most, especially if you were the one going inside the vehicle to take out the boxes inside them. You'd be able to sneak out maybe a few bags of chips, candy bars, a few cans of sodas, and any other junk food a child could fit in their pockets. Not everyone was able to obtain their portion of the delicious loot that was offered. He remembered one kid got caught and wasn't able to eat for a whole day as punishment just for trying to take a measly piece of a chocolate bar. What a pity it was. However, it wasn't always a failure.

He remembered Audrey and Ellie bringing back a score of junk food, only revealing it to them when they got back to their bunks the moment Instructor Xiang left the building. During those long weeks of very few choices of meals to consume, being able to get your hands on that kind of _fare_ tasted like a delicacy rather than an unhealthy kind of snack. Not that they gave a shit, they were kids for christ sake. Whatever tasted the best they tried to get as much of it as they could possibly carry without being caught.

There were gloomy days obviously, but having the companionship of his three friends by his side made the feeling of sorrow and isolation much easier to bear. Every night the four of them, luckily bunking right next to each other, just talked and talked for hours into the night about themselves, more of their background, where they came from, and why they were sent here. Sure this place was meant to discipline the shit out of you and installing fear in your hearts if you do something bad. The classes they gave them twice a week on Wednesday and Friday also sought for them to become better citizens in society. And that the actions they took were the reasons why they were here in the first place.

This kind of _education_ worked on quite a handful of children who were already mentally broken, and forced them to see the error in their ways. But neither Lincoln nor his friends fell for this attempt of manipulation. He's not implying that neither he nor any of his friends did anything wrong. He knows that everyone here was sent here for a reason, including his friends, and were willing to rebuild the damages they've done. But the methods they used to teach these children to better themselves as citizens made them seem like mindless robots. And that was one thing having trusted allies in this place would benefit you in the long run. And that was falling into the pack of blinded sheep that marched into their imminent doom. It also gave them the one thing that differed those four from the majority of the population, and that was the ability to remain human and unique.

That was where their bond of friendship began, as well as the reason why they slowly grew into a deeper understanding of one another. They weren't close as family, not yet at least. But that still didn't change the fact that they were the only ones they could trust in this prison, and that wasn't gonna change anytime soon.

"Three weeks." Chester spoke.

He currently leaned against his bunk next to Lincoln, seeming to be in thought like his white-haired compadre as well. "Three weeks since we first rolled through those gates."

"Three weeks and six days to be more precise." Audrey clarified

"Really?" Ellie began, slightly amazed on the amount of rising suns they've already woken up to. "I've lost count about mid way into the second week." She giggled. "I wonder what I'm going to do when I get back to civilization."

Chester scoffed. "Anything beats having to live in this place with four dozen other kids who sweat on a daily basis."

"Oh really now?" Audrey went over and sat next to Ellie on her bunk, crossing her legs as she did so. "I bet I can make you eat your words."

He smirked. "Whatever you say princess."

As silence engulfed the three, the sound of Lincolns ball bouncing against the wall suddenly came to a halt. Ellie was the first, and only person to notice this which provoked her to curiously look at her companion. Lincoln now sat silently, ball in his hand as he gazed at the wall in an unexpressive manner.

"Lincoln?" She spoke, attempting to get a sign of him acknowledging her voice. She received none.

Chester gazed behind him noticing that he hadn't heard a reply from his bunk-buddy. Noticing his distant expression, he knew that he was zoning out on something. "Oi, Lincoln." He gave a tap on his chest with the back of his knuckles. The act seemed to work, for Lincoln turned his head to him confusingly. "You shouldn't ignore your girlfriend when she's talking to you ya know." He smirked.

Lincoln ignored Chester's little attempt to 'tease' him and changed his attention towards Ellie.

"What are you thinking of?' She stated, not waiting for him to ask her what she wanted to say.

"Home." He replied. "And my sisters" He looked back towards the wall, resuming his activity of bouncing the ball against the wall. "I've just been wondering how my life would alter for my sisters and myself after this incident." He half lied through his teeth.

Sure his family always resided in his thoughts, but his newly made companions were also occupying him quite a lot lately. Every one of them was sent here for their own individual reasons surely. Chester, an only child in his family, had issues around... _girls_.

In the beginning, Chester told him that he was sent in here because of the aggressive behavior he committed to others, which was partially true. Turns out assault wasn't the _main_ reason he was sent here. The reason why he was here was because of his immensely mature interest in the opposite gender to the point where the chosen targets for his flirtatious behavior felt like they were being harassed. It started when he was only twelve, just a little over a year since he's been sent here. Chester wasn't a molester nor a pervert... well sort of a pervert, but certainly no molester. He just loved girls a little too... extreme for what would be considered appropriate for his age. And after receiving dozens of complaints from the school he attended, the principal, as well as counselors all sat down and discussed this issue with his parents and him. Saying if he doesn't start changing his ways now, then they cannot defend his right to come back next year. Sadly, he wasn't able to control himself and was expelled. Luckily it was already the end of the school year, and to help him with this issue, his mother and father, as much as they hated to do so, sent him here hoping that he could be controlled.

Audrey, however, was sent here for the reasons Chester first claimed himself for his imprisonment, which was her hostility towards others. From what he learned about his slightly tanned companion, she came from a really poor community that was littered with crime everywhere your eyes laid themselves upon. She grew up surrounded by violence. That was what she knew. All she knew. And that was what molded her into the cold, heartless person that was sent here after getting into deep trouble with law enforcement after beating a few girls and boys an inch away from death. She didn't really have friends, well she wasn't really alone. She did have a few people she hung out with, but they were more _allies_ , than friends. She, like Ellie, wanted to get through this entire month on her own, no attachments nor vulnerability exposed to anyone here. Sadly that wasn't the case when she and Ellie just clicked, much to her surprise. And then there was Chester, who was always a nuisance in her perspective. He was just a flirtatious pervert who always hits on her, and she always insulted or threaten him when he does, giving clear signals that she wasn't interested nor will she ever be, even going as far as scaring him a few times, literally. But no matter how many times she's done so, he was always persistent with his continuous behavior of affection. If this was any other boy, they wouldn't have spoken nor see her again, yet he would still come back no matter how rough she let him have it. And in a way, she couldn't help but like him a bit for actually trying to _conquer_ her heart instead of all of the other wimps that ran at the first sign of danger.

And then there was Ellie. The cute, innocent girl that no matter how much time Lincoln spent trying to understand, remained anonymous. Her intentions of who she wants to become were clear, but why she was here in the first place wasn't. Ellie was... she was too innocent to be kept here, much less sent here in the first place at all. So it was hard to understand why she was. He tried asking her once, but she evaded his question, saying that she doesn't like speaking about it or something like that. He didn't pressure her though, like everyone else here she deserved her privacy and secrets, and he most certainly has secrets that even his sisters don't even know of. He just hopes that one day she would be a little more open to him. But until that day comes, his big brother instincts seemed to have kicked in a bit meaning that he watches over her the majority of the time.

"Lights out!" The familiar sound of Instructor Xiang's authoritative roar echoed through the barracks, shortly followed by the sudden source of light to vanish from the room in a blink of an eye.

The creaking of his, and Ellie's bunks were heard lettimg him know that Chester and Audrey were climbing on their own respective beds as well. And then silence came, nothing could be heard besides people shuffling in their beds and a faint buzzing for the AC that was recently installed.

"Hey, guys?" Chesters voice could be heard in a light whisper through the light buzzing of the AC and the snores of the children. "You up?"

"Yo." Lincoln faintly replied, loud enough for hear.

"Still kicking." Audreys voice was also heard.

"Yup." Ellie neutrally confirmed.

A brief pause soon followed before shifting could be distinct from other surrounding sounds. A flashlight dimmly lit up the small section barracks pointing towards the floor, and no sooner than that came the jingling sounds of keys being shined by the light.

"The keys to _pleasure_ , Courtesy of Instructor Xiang." Chester grinned idiotically as he witnessed Ellies and Audreys surprised stare. He wasn't able to see Lincolns tho since he was under him, but he could take a good guess in his head about the expression he was having.

"How the hell were you able to get that?" Lincoln asked, pushing himself to a sitting position as he eye'd the dangling piece of metal just inches away from his face.

Chester twirled the the keys around his fingers. "Oh, you know." He began. Catching the keys in his hands which halted the twirling of the metal around his fingers. A _shink_ from the object was heard before he grinned. "Just worked a bit of my _charm_ and then snatched it when the time presented itself." He answered.

Chester kicked the blankets off his growing body before dangling his feet over the edge. With a slight grunt, he pushed himself off the bed landing on the cold floor barefoot. "C-Cold." He hissed while wiggling his toes a bit. He took a look at Lincoln and gave him a look as if he was disappointed.

"What?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by his friends intensity.

"Well..." He looked at Ellie, Audrey, and then back to Lincoln. "Are you all gonna miss out about what's behind the Door of Beginnings?"

By then, their eyes all widen by what Chester said.

"W-what?!" Audrey hissed. "It's THAT key?!" Her voice filled with disdain, yet the integrity of her being intrigued failed to conceal itself. "We'll be in big, BIG trouble if we're caught you know!" She gave Chester a chilling glare that remained on her for a few seconds before it dissipated, replaced by a grin and eyes full of evident excitement. "If you weren't such a pervert, I may as well just kiss you right now."

"Pucker up baby." He winked.

"Fuck off."

Ellie jumped into the conversation, her face with clear signs of hesitation and fear. "A-Audrey! What the heck are you saying?! There's no telling what'll happen to us if Instructor Xiang figures out that we took something that surely is considered valuable to him!"

"Oh, lighten up blondy." Audrey pushed herself off her bunk, landing in a similar motion Chester. She sat on Ellie's bed and wrapped an arm around her friends neck, pulling her close to her chest. "If we're gonna stuck here for three or four more days, I might as well snoop in places my nose doesn't belong. Who knows, perhaps we'll get a bit of dirt on our Instructor and blackmail him one of these remaining days."

Ellie, who still didn't look entirely comfortable with the situation they would surely get themselves in if they keep going this route, looked at Lincoln with eye's that pleaded for help and guidance.

"Uh..." Lincoln groaned out while scratching the back of his head nervously. The look he received unnerved him greatly. Which, in a way, forced him to say something. "I don't know guys." He began. "I mean like, if we are caught up in an unwanted scenario, I wouldn't want to be... I don't know, punished?" He spoke, clearly unsure of what he wanted to say.

Chester and Audrey looked at him in silence for a bit before letting out a silent chuckle.

"I'm sorry Lincoln, but that was probably the stupidest thing you said." Chester choked. "I mean like, when haven't we been punished while we were in here. Hell, we've been punished for literally following orders at some points. I need a breath of fresh air and just, live again."

Chester had him there. And Lincoln couldn't help but agree to his antics. The last month here has surely changed his personality, for better or worse he couldn't really tell, but it has surely altered since he first stepped in through those gates.

He gulped, not noticing the built up saliva in his mouth only after it went down his throat. He didn't mind going through with this at all, for he as well would like to know what's behind this Door of Beginnings. The rumors that spread these last few weeks in the barracks spoke of living a happy and wealthy life if you managed to take what's in there. Others say that their is a magical Geenie that'll grant you three wishes. And few believe that there wasn't anything of importance behind those doors.

Sadly, no one was able to get even a peek of what was inside, for their Instructor was always protective of what may lie behind those doors. Not until tonight.

He closed his eyes; slowly filling his lungs with as much air as it could intake, he exhaled lightly before opening his eyes. "Alright." He agreed, trying his best to ignore Ellie's deflated expression when he's been converted against her. "Let's go see what's behind that door."

* * *

The four of them crept along the shadows of the campus ducking behind barrels, boxes, machines, or whatever they could find big enough to conceal their petite forms. The watch light on the tower swayed by them a few timeo on the look out for potential escapees or anyone who shouldn't be up in this hour. The cold air filled their lungs as their legs continued to take slow, cautious steps that crunched along the dirt floor. At one point, Chester slipped and fell on his stomach, making a rather abnormal sound in that kind of hour. And unfortunately, gained the attention of two guards patrolling the premises.

"Hey, you hear that?" One of them loudly whispered to the other.

"It was probably just a loose bolt or a fallen box. Don't worry about it." The other replied, completely uncaring about the noise he heard. He continued to walk forward, his partner hesitant for a second but followed along after shaking the idea out of his system.

"Besides." The four children heard their voices fade into the distance. "They don't pay us enough to check that shit out. The last thing I'd want is to face some paranormal shit."

"Heh, I guess you're right."

Audrey crouched low for a few more seconds wanting to make sure they were actually gone. She slowly peeked her head over the barrel she hid behind before gesturing to her friends that the coast was clear. "Nice going white boy." Audrey gave a small frown. "Thanks to you we almost got caught."

"Hey!" He hissed rather loudly. "It wasn't my fault, I tripped on something!"

"Well then next time look where you're stepping, or do you need eyes on your shoes?"

"...That'd be quite helpful honestly." He placed his thumb on his chin, suddenly thinking about the idea Audrey insulted him with.

"W-What?! Are you this- you know what, shut up."

"No, but seriously. Think about it and the type of people you could help save-"

"We're wasting time here guys." Lincoln butted in. "Or should we just call it off and go back to our bunks."

"We should get a move on." Audrey spoke

"Yeah, we should." Chester ended.

The four continued to creep along the shadows for a few more minutes until they came upon the building they were looking for. Their instructors personal building of residency in this base.

"H-Here we are." Ellie gulped, feeling a rise of uncertainty swelling up in her chest. "M-Maybe we shouldn't do this. Who knows what would happen if Instructor Xiang catches-"

"Oh, lighten up Ellie." Audrey wrapped an arm around her closest friend. "This is a one in a life time opportunity. We'll just take a quick peak if you're really that nervous.

"A...a quick... peak?" She repeated slowly.

"Yeah!" She smiled. "Now lets go, eh? I'm sure you won't regret it."

Audrey's smile seemed to lighten up Ellie's mood and restore some confidence in her as well as easing her hesitancy. "Okay." She nodded.

Lincoln smiled at the sight of Ellies' cheerful yet slightly vulnerable nature. It eased his mind knowing that she was finally getting her foot through the state that kept her from reaching her full potential as a human being. He turned back back towards the building before walking up to the door and opened it slowly, making sure that it wouldn't squeak loud enough to attract someone. He was the first to step into the building that held no light within it. And for the second time ever, his senses suddenly spiked once more allowing him to hear things, smell things, and see things in a much more abnormal rate than what any human should be able to attain. He could hear the wind entering the lungs within him, and his friends surrounding him. The beating of his chest sounded like a drum resonating throughout the room, but was only noticeable to him and him alone. He took his first few steps through the front door, his friends shortly following in after him taking quiet, cautious steps.

Every few steps or so, the four seemed to stop and listen for any sounds of disturbance or revealed sounds. Chester took the lead after a few more seconds and opened a door into what they could only hope was their Instructors private chambers. They'd be deeper into enemy land once they stepped foot into the bedroom, and would most certainly make the danger radar spike dramatically due to the sleeping presence of their Asian Instructor.

...only their Instructor wasn't their at all.

In fact, the room was completely vacant of any human presence.

"He's not here?" Ellie squeaked out in relief yet confusion.

"Which means we can work faster." Chester noted as he immediately got to work, searching for the rumored door that intrigued the childrens young minds.

Lincoln and Audrey immediately assisted Chester, moving furniture around the room and knocking the walls softly as they did so. Ellie kept watch at the bedroom door so they wouldn't be caught by anyone by surprise.

Audrey tapped along the wall a few times before running her fingers across a large painting of a samurai warrior holding its bloody katana with pride. She tapped the painting a few times and noticed the hollow sound behind it. "Guys." She called over. "Help me move this painting."

Chester and Lincoln did the work of pulling the abnormally large painting off the wall, revealing a door behind it.

"Woah." Chesters eye sparkled with delight. "The rumors were true."

By now, Ellie had joined them staring at the door with wonder. It all continued for a short while before Lincoln placed a hand on Chesters shoulder.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He gestured to the door. "Open it."

Chester took the keys out of his pocket before isolating the one key that would fit in this doors keyhole. He took three slow steps to the door before sliding the key in the hole and twisted it.

 ***Click*.**

The sound of the lock releasing its hold on the door filled the childrens veins with adrenaline making their excitement and interest heighten ever so higher. Chester gulped, his eyes full of anticipation as he placed his hand on the door knob, twisting it open to reveal what's behind it. The four of them held their breath, their lungs filling with a burning rage to be released as what was behind the wooden door exposed itself to them.

"...It's... It's empty!" Chester nearly shouted in disappointment.

"What?!" Audrey hissed in disbelief. "Get ouf of the way." She nudged him aside to take a look herself, only to see Chester was telling the truth. It was a very dark and tiny room which would surely be misinterpreted for a small closet.

"No!" Audrey nearly cried out. She began to fiddle her hands across the walls as if she was in search for something. "No! Are you serious?! We did all of this for nothi-"

 ***Flick***

By then, everyone knew that Audrey uncovered something. Because an unnoticeable light seemed to brighten the room followed by a familiar grinding of stone scratching against one another. And there revealed a stairway leading down into a room perhaps unknown to the entire campus... Everyone besides their Instructor.

Chester took a few steps forward, intending to proceed deeper into their Instructors home, but Audrey placed her hand in front of him, preventing him from doing so.

"Ladies first." She gave a smugly grin.

She lead the way down the stairs, shortly accompanied by everyone else. As they got half way down, torches seem to automatically ignite itself giving everyone a much clearer view of where they were stepping. And unfortunately for Audrey, a hanging skeleton filled her visions making her shriek as she jumped back.

"Pfft."

She turned around to see everyone holding in a laugh trying not to make matters worse for any one of them.

"It's... Just a... Prop, Audrey." Chester paused a few times as to not break out into a fit of laughter.

He went to the skeleton and yanked it down before easily bending one of its bones.

"See, plastic." He held up the beant limb. He then gestured for her to continue down the step with a light bow. "Ladies first."

Audrey growled. "Shut up and get your ass moving." She gave him a nudge with her foot to make him take the lead.

"As you wish M'lady." Pretending to have a cowboy hat, he tilted his imaginary head-wear down as a sign of understanding. Now it was his turn to present a smugly smirk as he took the lead, ignoring the low growl from the girl a few inches behind him.

"You two argue like a married couple." Ellie squeaked out with a light smile.

"W-we totally do not!" Audrey once again nearly cried out.

* * *

The four of them surprisingly took nearly thirty seconds to reach the bottom, a long way down one would only think. A large room was hidden under the hundreds of lbs of dirt just above them, and it was decorated with what one could only think of as an ancient Japanese traditional theme.

"Woah." Lincoln was the first to speak when they reached the bottom. "It looks so..." His eyes took in every last detail of this room. Admiring its beauty and warmth. "Pure."

The four of them split up, each going to a certain area that peaked their interest the most. Lincoln eye'd a set of miniature statues. Action figures one would most likely say. They were battle ready, wearing their military attire. But not ones that fitted its surrounding theme. These look more modern, more up to date and... familiar. It was then he noticed that these were actually uniforms from todays Armed Forces. At first he thought these were collectibles, but after reexamining them once more, he noticed they carried a distinct nature to them, unlike others he's seen in retail stoHres. Kind of like they were handcrafted after a specific group and event. They look unique, a one of a kind model. Before he could think any deeper into the matter, Chester called his name.

"Hey Linc! Look what I got!"

Lincoln spotted Chester wielding a polished and sharp looking katana. He twisted and turned the sword around his arms with terrible grip.

"Woah, watch where you swing that thing. You don't wanna lose an arm do ya?"

"No worries, I'm a professional." Chester assured as he kept spinning it around until it suddenly flew out of his grasp into the air. Chester let out a girlish screech as it came down on him making him hop onto one of his feet, puckering his body tightly together. The sword stabbed into the floor inches away from him before it was pulled out by Lincoln.

"Professional huh?" He sarcastically spoke before handing it back to Chester to put it back wherever he got it from. His glasses wearing companion only grumbled as he dejectedly put the blade back in its rightful place.

Lincoln went to explore more until something else caught his eye. Something... _dangerous_. He went up to the shelf where the object laid on and picked up with interest. It was a pistol. And thankfully was unloaded.

"Woah, is that a Colt 1911?!" Chester came up to Lincoln after catching the object he held.

"A what?"

"It's a type of handgun. One of the most used in the military even today."

"I see." He replied, slightly taken aback by Chesters gun knowledge. All of a sudden, an idea entered his head that made him grin with humor. All of a sudden, he pointed the gun ahead of him from his waist and walked to a certain girl who was admiring the Japanese texture. When he felt he was close enough, he let out a small cough to gain her attention.

"Hands up, lil lady." He spoke, putting on his best cowboy accent.

"Oh." Ellie slowly put her hands up with an amused smile. "And what if I don't."

"Well, it's best you do if ya know what's best fer ya." He grinned. "No drop em"

"Excuse me?" She questioned, taken aback by his role play.

"Ya heard me." He kept his grin up. "Drop em trouser reeeeeal slow."

A few seconds passed in silence before Lincoln began to chuckle. "Ugh! I can't do this! It's so embarrassing."

"And there goes the big bad cowboy." She laughed, lowering her hands as she did so. "So... What was the purpose of all this again?"

"I don't know anymore." He replied, going back to where he picked up the handgun before placing it back where it lay.

Before the two could continue their small talk, Audrey called them over. "Hey guys, you're not gonna believe what I found."

They all gathered around their dark-skinned friend, peaking over her shoulder of the book she was flipping through.

"It's... A photo album?"

"Yeah!" She confirrmed before pointing towards a specific person on the paper. "And look who's in it!"

A young asian man was standing along side seven other people with arms wrapped around one another to connect a bridge throughout them all. They were smiling at the camera, all of them wearing a pair of sunglasses to protect the blinding sun from scorching their eyes. They all also stood in front of two Military Humvees.

"Is that... Our Instructor?" Chester narrowed his left eye as he cupped his chin with his thumb and index finger as if to examine the image.

"It seems like it." Lincoln confirmed.

"He looks so young." Ellie commented.

"He sure does." Audrey agreed. "And it's a whole book of him and these people together." She flipped through the papers rapidly before stopping on one where their Instructor was sleeping with his rifle leaned up against him.

She closed the book, exposing the front which carried a title to it with Japanese words no one understood, well that's what they all thought.

"Wa...sure... rareta... omoide." Ellie muttered, reading the Japanese Symbols with a bit of difficulty.

The three looked at her with a questionable gaze.

"You can read that?"

She rubbed her arm nervously as she chuckled. "Hehe, I was kind of an otaku about a two years ago so I studied Japanese language quite a bit."

"Otaku?" Chester questioned. "What the heck is that?"

"Something you'd rather not know of."

Chester only nodded and took wary to her answer.

"So." Lincoln spoke. "What does it mean in english?"

"O-Oh." She remembered. "It means, Forgotten Memories."

"Forgotten?" Audrey looked at the book once more before skimming through the pages once more. "Why would he want to forget this?" She held the book up to them all while pointing at an image with a _young_ Instructor Xiang doing a mighty yet goofy pose with a few of his friends and local poor children.

"Subete no egao no haigo ni, kanashimi wa tokunai."

A new voice revealed itself, causing everyone to look behind them. What they saw was their Instructor standing crossed arm by the stairway, and he did not look happy to see them here.

"W-what did he say?" Chester whispered to Ellie.

"U-uh." She gulped. "S-something about, because behind every smile, sorrow is near." She answered.

"Close, young child." Xiangs hard japanese accent filled their ears. "Your understanding of our language is mostu fluent. I am-a impressed by your knowledge at such a young age."

"T-Thank you." She shifted uncomfortably when their Instructor eye'd her intently, until Lincoln stood between her and the tall Asian man just a few feet away from him.

Xiang stopped, eyeing the white haired boy who concealed the girl behind him. His eyes were hard with a need to protect, but his body showed clear signs of fear. He still mentally applaud him for his courageous act of being the one to face him.

"You're notu allowed down hera, and your curfew passed an 'our ago." He spoke with such a stern voice that it made the fours shoes shake due to its intimidation. Just then, his eyes fell upon the book Audrey still held in her hand, making his eyes slightly widen.

"You!" He pointed as he began to approach Audrey in a rather quick pace. "Why do you hold it?!"

Audrey gulped as she took a step back. "U-Um." She choked, clearly lost in words she could never express.

No one did or sais anything to help Audrey, because the sudden act had them all on edge and paralyzed by fear. Xiang yanked the book out of her hands with such force, clearly expressing how valuable this piece of history was to him. He examined the book with worry before it was replaced by fury.

Out." He grumbled so low that it wasn't hearable to any of them. "I said get out! And go to your bunks before I extend your time here!" He screamed with such anger.

Chester wrapped an arm around Audrey's shoulders before pulling her with him seeing as she was still paralyzed by his intimidation. "Come on, lets go." He whispered, leading her out of the room.

Ellie followed after Lincoln up the stairway, buy stopped to take one look at their instructor who no leaned on the counter, staring solemnly at the book with a distant exprrssion.

"Toshi ga kawatte mo, kono kimochi wa kawarimasen." He muttered out with such emotion.

Ellie heard his words and left with a new found respect yet pity for her Instructor.

"Even though the years change." She began to translate the words through her head. "This feeling will remain the same."

* * *

 _Day Thirty_

.

 _Judgement Day_

Ellie stood among the children deep in thought about the last words her soon to be Ex-Instructor spoke four nights ago. A normal person would've been over it by now, but for some reason it lingered off her. Though their was nothing she could do about it now. So she dared not pay much attention to it at the moment, because now, after thirty days she and everyone else were finally... _finally_ going home. Though she couldn't help but feel... down for some reason.

"Well, this is it huh guys." Chester spoke. The four of them stood together amongst the heads that waited for their bus rides home.

"I guess it is." Lincoln hummed softly as he thought about home. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the thought of seeing his family again. It felt like that dau wouldn't come, but it did! And now! He was finally going home to his loving family. "I don't really know what to say to you all. It feels like we're throwing our bond of friendship away after today, and it doesn't sit too well with me."

"Don't worry bud!" Chester assured. "I'll be sure to find you on social media one day." He then took a quick glance at Audrey who stood behind him. "And I'll make sure to find _you_ , chocolate cake."

Audrey gave a chilling smile. "And I'll make sure to block, ignore, and report every account and request you make."

Chester leaned to Lincoln and whispered in his ear. "She digs me." He gave a wink.

"Heh, keep telling yourself that Chester."

All of a sudden, there were rhythmic shouting coming from a distance. All the children looked to see another group of kids around their age marching in synchronization with each other towards a line of parked buses that was owned by Military Personnel, not that they knew it was.

"Ugh, those kids are always singing, marching and exercising." Audrey grumbled. "Don't they ever take a break?"

These children were brought here 3 nights ago. At first, everyone thought they were a new batch of kids, but surprisingly they weren't. No one figured out who they were, why are they here, and what is their purpose at all. And they may never know at all for they were now parting ways from this mysterious batch of children.

"I'm just glad we never did what they're doing." Chester hummed.

"I'm..." Ellie shifted uncomfortably. "I'm gonna use the restroom real quick." She headed off in a light jog.

"Ellie?" Lincoln spoke, clearly seeing that something was wrong with her. "Ellie wait up." He followed after her.

Chester and Audrey looked at each other not knowing what to do. They soon shrugged their shoulders and ran after them; knowing that they weren't suppose to move from their spots until the buses arrive.

Lincoln saw Ellie barge into the ladies room, leaving him standing outside clueless and concerned for her health. Not ten seconds later, Chester and Audrey arrived.

"Lincoln, buddy." Chester lightly panted. "Where's Ellie?"

"She's in the ladies room." He replied, pacing back and fourth in front of the door. "Doing what? I wish I knew."

"...that came out wrong." Chester blinked.

Audrey went to the door and pushed it open, taking one look at the two she spoke. "I'll check up on her." With that she disappeared behind the door.

"You alright Linc?" Chester spoke with concern after seeing the worried state Lincoln was in.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, yeah thanks Chester." He replied, clearly lying through his teeth.

"Hey." He places his hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "What's wrong man?"

Lincoln sighed in frustration. "I-I don't know. Okay. I wish I could just, be there for her but I just can't! After today, I won't be there for her anymore. I won't be able to stay up late and chat with her. I won't be able to watch over her, to comfort her and tell her that it'll be alright. It's just..." He furiously scratched his head. "I don't know man. I just..." He leaned up against the wall now lookind dejected and emotional. "I don't want it to be goodbye... not yet."

Chester glanced away. "Shit." He thought. "Why do I get the duty of being a counselor. I suck at this stuff." He sighed before crossing his arms.

"Lincoln." He spoke. "I know this is all coming at you... it's coming at all of us real quick. And trust me, I don't want to part from you all like this either. But a goodbye? That's the last thing you'll ever have to think of. I know it's hard, and... well, you just shouldn't push yourself this hard to make sure everyone leaves happy. I noticed that _that's_ your problem. You try to give everyone a happy ending. It may have... or is working back where you live. But this, this is the real world. Happy endings don't come true for people like us. I've seen too much at such a young age to know that's a fact." He walked up to him and leaned on the wall next to him. "Look, I'm not saying to let it go. Whatever you're feeling, if it really means so much to you. Hold on to it. Cherish it. But don't get sucked into it. Because you'd not only hurt yourself, but she'd be left heartbroken too."

Lincoln stood quiet for a felt like forever in Chester point of view. Chester was about to ask what was wrong with him, but then he turned to him speaking.

"Boi! Since when the fuck did you start speaking like a sage."

"What?" Chester raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. All I ever hear from you is flirty lines you say to Audrey trying to get in her pants, and now you speak as if you've been alive for a thousand years.

"Fuck you." He smiled. "Just for the record, I'm trying to get her into my pants." He spoke, causing both of them to laugh.

Audrey and Ellie soon came out, both of them oblivious that they had quite similar conversations on both ends.

"Hey, Ellie." Lincoln stood up straight immediately. "Are you alright?"

She gave a gentle smile. "Yeah..." She spoke. "I am." She gave Lincoln a hug, much to his surprise. "Thank you for looking out for me." She whispered so softly that Linc wasn't able to hear it.

"Sooooo." Chester interrupted the two's tebder moment. "I wouldn't want to break this but... we should get back before we get left behind."

The four of them agreed before they started making their way back to the rest of the group. But as they did so, man stood in front of them halting their action.

"There you four are." He spoke with anger. "We almost left you four! Come and get on the bus now!"

"No need to tell us twice, sir!" Audrey replied as they all ran onto a bus that still had its door open, unaware of the military ownership on the vehicle at all. It squeaked shut after the last of them stepped on board and was once again on the road.

They all sat on different seats separated from each other seeing that there weren't any empty ones available. Lincoln looked over the shoulder of the boy he sat next to and saw them drive out of the gates that they first crossed a month earlier. As it screeched to a shut behind , that's when he knew he was finally free and was heading back home. Back to his bed, back to home cooked meals, back to his beloved family. .

Or at least... _That's_ what they all presumed was to happened.

 _To be continued_

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **Alright, this chapter is now completed**

 **We got to see a little bit of background history of their ruthless Instructor this chapter. And now we have ventured into the early stages of Lincoln feeling attracted to Ellie. The flashback is not over yet people. We still have about a thousand words next chapter before taking another break. Ronnie Anne and other characters such as Bobby, Clyde and maybe other minor characters will be revealed.**

 **I am experiencing issues getting these chapters out because I am suddenly having a life other than fanfiction haha. But I will try to update as much as possible.**

 **Let me know what you all think of this chapter. Feedback would be nice and I'd like suggestions on what would you like to see in this story, if you guys don't mind.**

 **Anyways, thank you all so much for your support, and as always!**

 **I'll see you guys when I see you guys.**

 **Peace!**

 _Parody Scene_

"Look, I'm not saying to let it go. Whatever you're feeling, if it really means so much to you. Hold on to it. Cherish it. But don't get sucked into it. Because you'd not only hurt yourself, but she'd be left heartbroken too."

Lincoln stood quiet for a felt like forever in Chester point of view. Chester was about to ask what was wrong with him, but then he turned to him speaking.

"Boi! Don't you go acting all smart-ass on me you glasses wearing nerd. Da fuck you think this is, a movie for Titanic or some shit? Fuck nah, I'm just trying to get some of dat pussy if ya know what I mean. Oh wait, ya don't cause I be smashing Audrey and Ellie at the same time last night on yo bed while you slept boi! Mothafucka, gonna have The Bodacious E get in on this shit and roast yo ass like a turkey during a thanksgiving feast. I bet no one would eat you anyways cause of yo crusty ass skin. Fuck outta my hood, you're the kinda trash not even trash would hang around."

He flapped a black leather coat before putting on as well as a pair of sunglasses. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have me two bitches to fuck." He walked into the ladies room like a boss, leaving Chester with his mouth hanging to the floor... Literally.


	7. Chapter 7

_*Continued Flashback*_

Day's... that's what this ride felt like to Lincoln. This ride began to get long... _too_ long. They never even crossed into a city or town once while they were driving. Coming to think of it, when have they ever made a drop-off? Surely someone would have been gone by now, at least one! But no one ever stood up to exit the vehicle. No one! Just then, he realized something he should've noticed when they first stepped on this bus.

...who the hell are these people sitting around him?

No one, no one! Besides Ellie, Chester, and Audrey seemed to bare any recognition to him. ...these weren't the kids he was brought along side with a month earlier. He gulped, suddenly being filled with a state of panic, he tried so hard to mentally pull himself together. Only by miracle was he able to do so, and even then the kid he sat next to noticed the discomfort he was having.

"Oi, mate." The boy lowly spoke as the vowels from the words were stressed with an Australian accent. "Whot's got yo'r unda' garments in a knot."

"W-What?" Lincoln confusingly responded, clearly oblivious to his words of expression.

Oh, soa'ry 'bout tha, eh?" He smiled before toning his vocabulary down to something more understandable for his 'american' way of speaking. "I wos try'na say why ya' looked so woa'ried."

"O-Oh." Lincoln suddenly understood after a few seconds of processing his words. "I... uh. Well, where are we headed?" He asked.

"Ta'be honest with ya, mate." He shrugged. "I 'ave no clue neitha'." He leaned back bringing his arms behind his head. "Fo' a second the'a I thought you di'nt know whot ya signed yourself up fo'. Or maybe you were an anklebitah tha' got on the wrong bus."

"A what?"

"An anklebitah. It means a kid." He clarified before continuing. "But I mos' say, it'll hopefully be a chee'ful six years with ya, mate." He extended his arm. "Name's James by the way."

"Lincoln." He replied while taking his hand and shaking it.

As they pulled apart, the two fell into a silence once more enjoying the ride to wherever they were headed. Lincoln however, felt as if a deep pit in his stomach suddenly emerged that sucked in his insides. "...six... years." He thought.

This can't be happening. This has to be a joke right? Yeah, a joke. That's all this is. He's just trying to get him into a state of panic so he'd laugh at him later, and perhaps get him in trouble with the bus driver forcing him to be the last to be dropped off. Lincoln reverted his eyes to the window where they began to fly across lonely lamps lighting up the empty streets, and then he saw it, a sign that confirmed his fears.

 ** _Welcome to California_**

"C...Cali...fornia?" He choked.

He turned around to look at his four friends who got on this bus along with him. Ellie and Audrey were asleep, seemingly tired of how long this bus ride was taking. Chester however looked back at him, seeming to have the same thoughts he was having as well. It was written all over his face. The confusion. The anxiety. The fear. Lincoln glanced around the bus to look at everyone else. Most of them seemed to be asleep, a few looked drowsy and would pass out any second, and then he looked at the bus driver who looked tired but keeping a stern eye on the road. And in a sudden motion, he quietly stood up on the moving bus and creep'd over to Chester who was about three seats behind him on the opposite side of the bus. Once he got next to him, he crouched down to conceal his head and blend in as much as possible.

"You saw the sign too, didn't ya." Chester began, already knowing what Lincoln wanted to ask.

"Y..." Lincoln paused, disappointed that he was saying what he didn't want to hear. "Yeah." He admitted.

The two remained silent for a bit, already feeling a rise of panic filling their bones. California?! Ha! That's ridiculous! There's no way they drove across the entire country That's just impossible... right?

"Wha-" Lincoln stuttered, trying to comprehend the words he wanted to say, he _had_ to say, he _must_ say. "What are we going to do?" The anxiety clearly expressing itself through his vocal cords, his breathing grew slightly faster like their was a limited amount of oxygen left.

"Right now..." Chester stopped when he heard and felt the kid next to him shift himself into a more comfortable position while mumbling gibberish through his lips. When he stopped, Chester looked back at Lincoln before muttering softly. "Right now, we wait until we arrive wherever we're headed. We'll speak to the adult running the place and tell him of our situation. He'd surely look through the files to find our names, and once deeming that we aren't in his book of registered children, he'd have to send us back or else it would be considered kidnapping if word gets out."

Lincoln softly nodded, liking the idea Chester thought of. "That's... that's actually not a bad idea." He lightly smiled. "Besides, if they actually try something they're not permitted to do to us... we can surely sue whatever organization they're a part of and walk away rich." He comically added.

Chester let out a small chuckle. "Now you're talking. Not even teenagers and already rich."

Lincoln, suddenly feeling much more comfortable with the situation they were in, said his farewell to Chester before creeping back to his seat. As he took his place next to James once more, the Australian boy made himself known that he was still awake.

"Ya ain't s'ppose ta be here, ain't ya mate."

Startled by his voice, Lincoln sighed in defeat knowing he was caught red handed before looking at him. "Yeah, I'm not."

James hummed in understanding. "So, I guess we won't be spendin' them six years togetha eitha, right?"

Lincoln stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding again. "Yeah." He softly replied.

"Tha's a shame if ya ask me." He continued, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "This program the government set up would've surely given ya some good benefits when yo'r no longa a todd'la."

This caused Lincoln to raise his eyebrow in curiosity. "Wait, why are you guys coming all the way to California for six years? Wouldn't your parents be sad to see you out of their life for that long."

"Oh, trust me. They are." He confirmed. "But tha' don't mean they won't see us. In fact, they'll be able to see us wheneva they like ta."

"Wait... really?!" He was caught off guard by the amount of freedom they were already having. "But... Isn't this like a program that's suppose to raise you into more well-behaved citizens. That's where I was sent for the last month."

"No, no." He answered. "It's nothing like tha'. I'd love ta explain whot's 'appening 'ere, but it's a ratha' long description."

Lincoln was going to persist with his question, but they pulled up into a resting stop to allow the children and the bus drivers to get out an stretch their legs, use the restroom, or buy a little snack if they had money for the vending machines around the area. The bus's squeaking to a stop next to each other woke the children who were snoozing.

"Alright." The bus driver spoke. "Stretch your legs, use the restroom, or do whatever you like. Be back here in ten minutes so we can finish our ride, we're only about two hours away from base." As the bus driver was about to step off, he looked back at them once more before speaking. "Oh yeah, if this is your first time in this state, then welcome to California kiddo's." With that, he got off the bus shortly followed by the rest of the kids who slowly made their way down the narrow walk-way.

Lincoln stepped off and immediately felt the difference in weather California had from Michigan. It wasn't hot, nor cold. It felt... nice. The way the air grazed on your skin, it felt rather welcoming one would say. He blinked, suddenly his eye's feeling a bit droopy, he rubbed them to hopefully chase the exhaustion out of them while letting out a small yawn. He went over to one of the tables the rest stop provided and plopped his butt on the bench uncaring.

"Lincoln."

He glanced over to see Chester leading Ellie and Audrey over to his direction. Ellie was rubbing her eyes trying to fully awaken herself from her sleep while Audrey looked around her confusingly.

"Linc-" Ellie tried to say but a yawn overcame her attempt of speaking.

"Goodmorning, Ellie." Lincoln smiled.

Though it was still dark, he could clearly make out a faint glimmer of light in the sky telling him that sunrise was only about half an hour away.

"Mmm~" She sleepily groaned. "Morning~"

"Uhh, where are we?" Audrey questioned, getting straight to the point.

Chester and Lincoln both looked at each other not knowing where to begin.

 _Two Minutes Later_

"So you're telling us, that we got on the wrong bus that resulted in us being in California which is more than a thousand miles away from home..." Audrey repeated all she's heard from the two.

"...Yeah." Lincoln and Chester both simultaneously spoke.

Audrey took a deep breath, still having trouble to process all of this. "I..." She sighed. "Imma use the restroom." She spoke before walking off toward the ladies room, shortly followed by Ellie who also needed to use it... literally.

The two stood in silence for a few seconds, wondering what else was there to talk about.

"Well..." Chester broke the silence. "They took the news rather well."

"Yeah." Lincoln agreed as he watched Ellie disappear behind a few buildings. "Yeah, they did."

He would be lying to himself if he wasn't concerned about the reaction he received. Chester was right when he said that they took it well, but Ellie; She took it too well. Like she wasn't bothered by the idea of being so far from home. Rather, she seemed a little... delighted, much to his confusion. And which also continued to add more of a conundrum around who Ellie actually is.

"Howdy'ya do Linc." James approached the two with his arms wrapped around a few bags of edibles one would find in a vending machine. "Ya hungry?" He pulled out two bags of chips from the pile of random treats before tossing it at him.

Lincoln stumbled a bit, not expecting the sudden toss while thankfully catching them. After regaining his footing, he handed one to Chester who happily took it from him. Lincoln took a look at James once more, and only then did he realize how tall he is. He pretty much towered over the two easily while looking down on them with a friendly smile that could be easily misunderstood for one of malicious intent if not for his kind gestures.

"...you're tall." Chester blurted out randomly after looking at the new acquaintance Lincoln made just a few seconds ago.

James took great pride by Chester's comment on his height. It was clearly expressed by how he puffed his chest up with self-respect. "Thank ya, it runs in tha family. Hopefully when I reach eighteen I'll surpass my Ol' man in height." He looked at Chester and extended his right hand while holding onto the rest of the treats on his left arm with ease. "Good ta meet ya. Th'names James." He smiled.

"Chester." He replied with his own smile. "So how tall are you anyways?"

"I'm a good 5'10 if ya mo'st know."

5'10 at the age of 11 to 13. Yeah, you must be doing something right if you're that tall.

"And my ol' man is a good 6'11. My mom isn't as tall as him but she has a decent height of 6'9."

"Decent?! You're family is filled with fucking giants!" Chester almost screamed. This brought the attention of almost everyone who was near them, which was quite unwanted attention at the moment.

Just then, someone pulled on Chester's ear, causing him to yelp in pain while dropping his bags of chips. "Ow, ow, ow!" He cried.

"Keep it down, will ya?" Audrey hissed. "You're like a siren."

Chester whimpered at the pain while nodding. "Alright, alright. I got it."

She let him go with a light *hmph* before noticing the bag Chester dropped. "Thanks for the food by the way, I'm starving." She reached down and swiped it before he could get to it. She opened the bag and began munching on the saltine chips teasingly. The sight of this scene broke Chesters heart.

"My..." He sniffed while making grabbing motions. "My chips..."

"Ya snooze, ya lose." Was her only reply as she continued teasing him.

James pulled out another bag. "No need to cry, here have this one." He tossed it to Chester who took it with joy. James looked at Ellie who remained as quiet as a mouse. "Would you like one as well?"

Ellie stared at the bags of chips indecisive if she should grab it or not. After a few short seconds, she quietly spoke. "Do... uh. Do you have any... chocolate?" She spoke with more agitation than confidence.

James chuckled at her timid nature before pulling out a Hershey's bar. Her face immediately flipped around and was filled with desire and anticipation to get the Hershey's bar into her mouth. She took it from him rather swiftly, and even though it may have been rudely as well, it didn't really bother James at all. She immediately tore the wrapper open and began nibbling on the piece of candy like a rabbit. After a few seconds, she noticed the stares she was receiving and stopped.

"W-what?" She squeaked out.

The four of them only watched her in a daze on what they witnessed.

"C...Cute." Lincoln finally spoke, receiving a few grunts in agreement from the rest.

Ellie glanced away with a light blush, Not wanting to be seen eating her chocolate bar she shifted away from the group to hide behind Lincoln who suppressed the urge to look back at her every now and then when he heard a light crunch. And just as it all happened, the attention was shifted away when the bus drivers called for them to load up.

"Well, it wos noice meet'an all of you." James looked at the four. "My guess is tha' you four will be transpoa'rted back 'ome afta' clearing up this misunderstandin with the one in charge, ro'ight?"

"That's the plan." Lincoln confirmed as they boarded the bus in time to see the sun rising from where they called home.

* * *

 _Two Hours Later_

Time was long yet apprehensive to the four which made time fly in a matter of minutes. As they mast the more _urban_ , parts of California; Driving on the highway through L.A. awed the children who's never experienced city life in the first hand. And though the experience may not have been at it's full peak, they had certainly gotten to enjoy the one thing all city lovers tend to be annoyed of!

 _...Traffic!_

The wait was long, and the constant honking of horns really began to take a toll on their patients. But thankfully it now seemed to be moving quickly, because after about thirty minutes of barely moving a mile, the slow pace seemed to abruptly lift and they were now traveling fifty miles per hour or more. The drive continued for another hour or so along the busy highway that was always being occupied no matter what time of the day or night it was. And then a security checkpoint slowly emerged in the distance and grew in size every second. The driver smiled, knowing that the drive was now over and they have finally arrived at their destination. He slowly pushed down on the brakes which brought the bus to a sudden halt next one of the armed security guards. A _tap-tap_ on his door window caused him to roll it down to be able to speak clearly to the man on the other side of the metal door.

"Well, hello there!" He greeted with a smile.

"Good morning." The guard replied. "What business brings you here."

The bus driver reached down in the side of his door and pulled out a paper that explained his authorization to enter. "Well." He began as he handed the guard the paper. " I'm here with a batch of kids that made quite a _commitment_." He spoke the last word as if it had some sort of secret code.

The guard instantly lit up and was delighted to hear that the arrival was here. "I see." He then looked at the filled seats of children who eagerly watched the bus driver and guard converse with each other. "How are you kids doing?!" He rose his voice loud enough for them to hear.

"Good!" Was the main reply they gave.

The guard chuckled as he examined the papers. After deeming it valid he handed them back before bidding him on. As the buses began to slowly pass the guard, he spoke once more loud enough for them to here. "Let me be the first to welcome you all to the Marine Corps Base; Camp Pendleton! I'm sure you'll all enjoy your stay!" He waved.

Lincoln watched the guard fade in the distance from the rear window of the bus before looking ahead once more. "Camp Pendleton, huh?" He muttered.

The buses pulled up to the parking lot where quite a number of military personnel were standing as if they were expecting their presence. As soon as the bus came to a stop, the doors opened with a hiss, signaling that it was now to depart from the vehicle for good this time. As the children stepped off, they stayed huddled together as prying eyes gave them a nerving feeling in their guts. For Chester, Audrey, Lincoln, and Ellie, they only waited for the right moment where they'd be able to speak to the commanding officer in private. But for now, they are one with the pack.

Just then, the Military Men/Women before them suddenly made a path for them to walk through, and with clear hesitation one of them began to walk down the path laid out before them shortly followed by the others like a herd of sheep playing follow the leader. After a minute or so of walking, they entered a building that led them into a dark room where light was non-existent. The only source of light reflecting through the door was suddenly taken away from them, causing it to actually be pitch dark. Nothing could be seen around them, and the only things that was heard were the chilled breaths of one another that flooded their ears. And then just like that, the lights suddenly turned. And their ears were now overwhelmed by the sounds of cheering. The blinding light made them all wince for a second due to its unexpected appearance, but after getting used to it they were greeted by both civilians and military personnel who were clapping their hands and applauding for their much awaited arrival. And that's when they all realized that they were standing on a stage in the midst of perhaps five hundred or more people.

"Um..." Chester gulped at the sight of hundreds of eye's staring at them. "Are we suppose to say something?"

"I don't know." Lincoln answered. "Let's just wait it out and see what happens."

As if on cue, an old man stepped onto the stage. His presence in the room seemed to slowly calm the crowd down until they were silent.

The old man took a hold of a microphone that was handed to him before speaking. "Residents of Camp Pendleton!" His voice was filled with such influence that it stimulated everyone's spines and rushed their bones with adrenaline and excitement. Even Lincoln felt his blood rushing throughout his body at such an abnormal rate at the sound of this mans voice.

"Most of you may already know me, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kevin J. Lucas. I am a Brigadier General Kevin J, Lucas. I am a Commanding General of Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. And it is truly my honor to introduce you to _these!"_ He gestured towards the children with his left arms wide open. "These two hundred children who have made the _ultimate_ sacrifice of leaving their homes, their schools, their friends, and the love of their families just to be able to come to our humble home to endure, overcome, and grow!" He started out. "Please be in mind. These kids are not here against their will, nor will they be forced to stay here if they decide that this new program we have created just isn't for them. So please, if you'd be so kind to give these kids another welcoming round of applause!"

The audience burst into another cheer, some whistling and others shouting some motivating words. As it died down, Brigadier General Lucas continued his speech. "For starters, to every one of you listening, if you come across one of our _young_ cadets..." He gestured to the children. "Wandering around our Camp looking confused, please give them your full assistance to help them go to wherever they need to be, or are trying to get to. Secondly, I want you all to treat them with your utmost respect. They will be away from home as you all already know, and this could affect their mental health. So treat them as if they were your family. And surely welcome them as if they were your family. And finally, before I go." He turned his attention towards the children. "I'd like to personally say that I am glad that you all took this step into becoming something great. Whether in six years you'd like to join one of our armed forces or pursue different goals, I hope you all will learn and take advantage of the opportunities given to you here and make something great out of it."

After his short speech, he turned his attention back to the audience. "Sadly, since my time is limited here, I have to take my leave. And _so_ will these children who will now be handed to our finest instructors in each of our military branches I will introduce you to." He suddenly turned to four mhanand one woman who were dressed in their distinctive military attire before calling them up one by one. "From the United States Army, Drill Sergeant Amy Hernandez."

Amy Hernandez, a Hispanic woman wasn't exactly... tall. She stood at 5'4, but the way she presented herself as well as the intimidating glare she gave was something to beware of. As she walked up the steps onto the stage, she went over and gave a salute to the General before taking her place in the center of the stage, her back straight, her her arms tucked behind her back, and her form would be described as perfect.

"From the United States Navy, Recruit Division Commander Jack White."

A Caucasian man walked up the stage and proceeded with the same actions Amy Hernandez had done only seconds ago.

"From the United States Coast Guard, Company Commander Aaron Fischer."

Another Caucasian man followed the same routine as the previous two.

"From the United States Air Force; Military Training Instructor Jordan Black."

Jordan Black, an African American man who is well built like his colleagues despite the differences in physical labor among the different branches.

"And finally, from the United States Marine Corps; The Senior among these four individuals, Senior Drill Instructor Hyung Xiang!"

The last person, an Asian man came up the steps onto the stage as he approached the Brigadier General. After giving a salute to his superior, he turned his attention to the children where they could get a good look at his facial features.

Among the two hundred children, four of them widened their eyes at the unexpected familiar sight before them

"No, way." Audrey muttered.

"T-That's..." Chester gulped.

"Instructor Xiang." Lincoln finished.

The four of them could only stand in shock as the man before them gave them all a stern, yet welcoming glare. It was weird and foreign to see this man expose such affection to them after the month they went through with him.

Ellie stared into the eye's of their _former_ Instructor with attentiveness. The asian man, unaware of her eyes locked onto his own continued to examine the children individually. No one ever saw the smile that slowly began to manifest on Ellie's lips.

*Flashback End*

Lincoln awoken more... tranquil than the first time he was in the machine. His eye's fluttered calmly as if he was only in a small nap; And reaching up he pulled off the device from his head, letting his hair scribble free from its confined state.

"How are you feeling?" Lisa appeared next to him with a clip board.

Lincoln; taking the time to perceive his current condition wiggled his eye brows a little. "Um... fine. ...actually." He began. "I feel quite... unhampered."

A small smile formed on her lips before jolting the words down. "I s _h_ ee." She replied. "That's good, it seems my lates _h_ t additions made an improvement to your mental behavior after staying in for over an hour. Next time we do this I suggest we extend your memory depth by thirty minutes." With that, she unhooked the device before heading upstairs to continue her _improvements_.

Lincoln stood and stretched his muscles, after feeling a few _pops_ and releasing grunts of satisfaction, he took notice of his families presence still in the room. He suddenly felt uncomfortable for their lack of noise, and without having an idea of what to say he randomly spoke. "So... how was it?"

Lynn Sr scratched his chin. "To be honest with you sport, I... I don't know." He wrapped an arm around around his wife who sat on his left. "I want to feel angry. To feel scared. And I do, to an extent. But... I expected much worse actually." He looked to his wife who held somewhat of the same idea Lynn Sr had.

Lincoln looked over to his mother. Rita sensing that the spotlight was on her, cleared her throat before saying something. "I... I agree with your father." She spoke after a moment of hesitation. "Don't get me wrong, I was fearful for your well-being up to the point where you finally came back to us. But, even though these people aren't your family, I'm glad that you at least had a cosy place to sleep and somewhere to get a warm meal."

Lincoln smiled and was feeling more relaxed with how his parents were taking the situation he was in. But inside he let out a small chuckle on the last words her mother said. "A cozy place to sleep and a warm meal to eat? Ha, oh mother if only you knew the half of it." He shuddered at memory of being up against the elements of nature for almost a week with nothing but each other and what they carried on their bags. That was the toughest week he had... well almost.

Leni had a small gleam in her eyes. "Oh, those uniforms they wore were so fancy!" She referred to the people she saw on the TV screen moments ago in Lincolns memory. Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head and she rushed up stairs to find a pencil and piece of paper to sketch out a new design for a dress she could wear, and hopefully make it the next trending outfit.

Lori watched her sister run up the stairs with a smile. To her, it was great to see Leni sparkling up with her bubbly attitude again. She never wanted to say it, but she missed her sister dearly when she shut herself out to everyone. Her presence in their room made everything so gloomy due to her downed nature, the blinds were usually closed, Leni's side of the room was usually messy, and she always laid in her bed when she was around. But now, she finally had the sister she dearly loved back.

"Lori! I totes need your help with this!" Leni called from upstairs causing Lori to scoff with a smile.

"Coming!" She spoke as she stood up. However, before she went upstairs she walked up to Lincoln before kissing him on the cheek. "I'm glad you were okay." She spoke before heeding Leni's call.

Everything else slowly adjusted back to how they were after a few more words were spoken between Lincoln and the rest of the remaining family before parting ways to do what they needed. However, Lincoln stood over Lily who was sitting down on the kitchen table doing her homework, which was multiplying fractions and decimals.

"Mmmm~" Lily groaned as she rubbed her head feeling a headache. "Homework is so annoying."

Lincoln chuckled before leaning on the table. "I know it does, so lets hurry up and finish it so I can go buy you ice cream."

The mention of ice cream perked Lily up and got her focused back on her homework in a steady pace. All while she studied, the thought of having the delicious cold treat stuck in her head.

* * *

 _5 hours later 11:47 PM_

Lincoln laid on his bed staring at his bedroom roof for the last... two hours or so. And with each passing second it began to grow more and more bothersome just to wait for sleep to take him away from this world called reality. His thoughts always reverted back to the smile Ellie suddenly had the last second in his dream. He didn't know why he always thought of it, and he never saw that smile when he was there in person. It was weird to him, it was like... it was like when he revisited his memory it was showing him hidden messages he never got to see. ...but why? Why would it show him that? What good reason would there be if Ellie was...

He shook his head not wanting to revisit those haunting memories. Not again.

Never... again.

With a sigh, Lincoln pushed himself up from his bed and stood up onto the carpeted floor. "I need to go for a ride." He muttered.

Usually when you were in a bad situation, taking a long ride was a bit of a therapy session for him. It gave him time alone from prying ears and to just think about life. The only problem was that... he didn't have a car.

Lincoln put on some tight, yet a comfortingly smooth shirt that outlines his figure well. To the normal person, it looked like he was about to go for a run. He wore sweatpants and a really thin work-out sweater over his tight shirt. And after putting on some shoes, he left his room silently before creeping down the stairs. Everyone was surely asleep, and the last thing he wanted was for someone to come with him. Not that he didn't want them to, but he preferred being alone for now. As Lincoln approached the door, he looked over to the counter before grabbing Lynn's keys to her truck.

"She wouldn't mind me taking her truck for a spin." He thought. "Well, if she doesn't find out that is." He left through the front door not a second later. He clicked the unlocking button on the keys ahead of him and heard Lynn's truck let out a light beep. It was parked on the side of the street in front of the house, so he just crossed the lawn and hopped in without a second thought. He pulled off a few seconds later and followed the streets for about three minutes before merging onto the nearly empty freeway and just drove to wherever it took him.

It's been almost half an hour and Lincoln was now miles away from Royal Woods. In fact, he could've sworn he saw a sign that said _**Welcome to Ohio**_ a few miles back. But he paid no mind in it and just kept driving, just then he looked at the gas meter and saw that it was almost empty which made him curse out loud. "Fuck! Lynn didn't fill it up." After a few seconds panicing he settled himself down. "Gotta find someway to get back to Royal Woods or Lynn is gonna kill me."

After another minute or so of driving, he saw lights appearing in the distance. And he meant a lot of lights! Just then he realized where he was. He was at the big city, Cleveland Ohio **,** one state over. ...where Ronnie Anne lived. **(AN: Picked a random city in Ohio where Ronnie Anne lives.)**

Lincoln gulped at the thought of Ronnie. Not out of fear, but with excitement and absorption. Coming to think of it, just like he was, Ronnie is now a fully grown person. He began to rummage through his thoughts to come up with an idea of how she would look like now. Curvy Ronnie? Athletic Ronnie? Smart Ronnie? So many thoughts, yet so little time. So after pulling up to Casagrandes' Bodega, imagine his frustration when he kept driving forward.

"Ronnie Anne is probably asleep, i don't wanna bother her... heck she might not even live here anymore either as well. So why come here."

He continued to come up with random excuses that drove him more and more angry to the point where he stepped on the brakes so hard the truck screeched to a stop.

"You fucking coward!" He screamed so loud to himself in the truck you could clearly hear it outside. Thank god no one was around nor behind him when he drove, cause he could've gotten into a nasty car crash if he pulled that stunt off when it was packed.

Lincoln let out a sigh in frustration before gripping the steering wheel hard. A light from his right caught his attention causing him to glance over, and in the distance he saw a neon red colored sign that said Old Angle Boxing Gym. Out of curiosity, he parked the truck on the side between two other vehicles before stepping out. Feeling the cool air on his skin, he pulled his hood over his head and stuffed his hands in his sweater pockets feeling slightly embarrassed he didn't bring a warmer pair of clothing. He lightly jogged to the door and opened it, not really knowing why he was coming here to begin with. The first thing he noticed when stepping inside was how spacious it was with all the boxing equipment littered around the room. The second thing he notice was the man in the middle of the room throwing punches on the punching-bag. The punches he threw were quick and hard. And the sound that resonated throughout the room from it was quite loud as well.

The man, who was African American, noticed the newcomer and stopped his exercise. "Can I help you?"

Lincoln took his hands out of his pocket and cleared his throat. "Uh... um. No, well yes." He chuckled. "I'm actually having trouble with my truck, you see I was going for a midnight stroll to get my mind off of things and I sort of ran out of gas as I did so. And the thing is I didn't bring any cash or my debit card at all."

"How unfortunate." The man replied as he approached Lincoln. "Sure I'll spare a few bucks." He began taking his gloves off, however the moment he got close enough to get a good look at Lincoln he suddenly stopped. "Say... have I met you before?"

Lincoln raised an eyebrow before examining the mans appearance. He was muscular definitely and had a fairly good hairline with short hair. "Noo... I don't think so."

The man took his gloves off fully and tilted his head as if he was trying to get a better look. "Wait a minute..." His eyes slightly widened a bit. "...Lincoln?"

"Umm... yeah?" He nodded, still confused.

"Don't you remember me?" The man replied as he extended his arms to the side for him to get a better look. "It's me! Clyde!"

Lincoln stayed quiet for a bit. His mind seemed to shut down for a second, and then suddenly as if he was rebooted automatically; Life returned to his eyes along with clear shock before speaking in disbelief.

"Clyde?!" He nearly screamed

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **Well, this was one hell of a chapter wasn't it folks? First we are reunited with our Instructor who didn't make much of a character growth, but that would surely change with these next coming chapters. I'll promise ya that. However, not ONLY did Xiang appear, but now we are reintroducing Clyde McBride back into the story as well! How exciting is that?! Clincoln McCloud is coming back together... And more muscular am I right?! XD**

 **Leave a review if you don't mind, I'd love to hear your feed back and as always!**

 **I'll see you guys, when I see you guys.**

 **PEACE!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'D REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU READ THIS AUTHORS NOTE**

 **It's been awhile since I made an Authors note**

 **.**

 **Three chapters ago. XD**

 **And now we're back. This is a small rant, that I'm sure most of you will not read at all, but I'd like to say some things about the Loud House fanfiction stories related to _war,_ and pretty much all others whether they're of resemblance to the genre or not. I've come to notice, that most of these stories seem to become too repetitive. For example, from the war genre. Lincoln or someone gets sent to war, whether abducted, volunteered, enlisted or whatsoever. If he goes missing or not, doesn't matter; And I'm sure he'll come back with battle scars whether they're physical or mental. Then he'll have some type of trauma and PTSD kicks in worrying his family and friends which comes to him telling of what he went through. And that, my fellow writers and readers is what I am getting annoyed of. The repetitiveness of a story whether they're of a war genre or not. But then again...**

 **I'm not such a unique writer myself with the story I'm currently writing. I know that.**

 **But the thing I believe for me, (other than Devumaru who I'm more than positive started the train of Military/Bootcamp/Abducted Lincoln) I don't want this story to be like that. And I really want to expand my story among the different OC characters who will play a huge role in Lincoln's life. Not because they're 'brothers in arms'! You can say they're brothers in arms and start making them all buddy and buddy. But what use is it if it's only a written statement of their unbreakable bond by mere words on a piece of paper? Where's the realism in that? Where's the sense of companionship. The feeling of molded hearts. The strength of their bond. The capacity of their limits?!**

 **All I see is this character fights along side the other to the death. And at one point he or someone else will die for them! Ha! You have nothing else to add to that but a sacrifice and a little background history?! It's becoming so dull to the point where the reader will feel like, "Oh, he died. That's sad." And then forget about him the next chapter or so without so much of an impact or remembrance of the persons name unless mentioned in the story again some time down the line. Like what in the actual fuck is that?**

 **And don't get me started on those other stories that milk the original out, changing only small things here and there to what they wished would've happened and then smacking it on the website like it has a completely different and mystical/mythical plot line to it. But in reality, it's just been milked out of the original without any effort to add something big to it. I admit, this story isn't completely mine.**

 **But I AM actually taking the time to create something NEW out of it! Something different. And something CLOSE to UNIQUE instead of having him go through a tragic experience and then getting his dick sucked off by every girl he knew when coming back to Royal Woods. That's old news, reaaal old. And that's what I'm hoping to differentiate my story from the original and all other leeches that took the idea.**

 **I don't want this to just be about Lincoln. And I don't want this to just be about the Loud family either. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in this story will have a story to tell! They will ALL play a huge roll in this story. Their personalities were created for a REASON! Not just for ENTERTAINMENT!**

 **Every OC I introduced, Chester, Ellie, Audrey, James, and the last four or five I have yet to make way for will BE a MAIN CHARACTER. Not a side character or a main-side character. But a main character.**

 **Now, with my ranting now over. Enjoy the story! XD**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Lincoln and Clyde both sat on the bench chatting away happily as they caught up with their lives. It lifted such a burden from them both after finally meeting up with one another after a decade apart. To them, the atmosphere around them was refreshing with familiarism of their childhood days to the point that it almost felt as if they were eleven years old again... almost. Clyde, though well built and muscular still held onto a small part of his child hungry self. And now with no need to wear glasses nor contact lenses, his appearance only grew more eye-catching to the opposite sex by his looks.

"So let me get this straight." Lincoln leaned back, munching on a protein bar Clyde gave him earlier. "You're now a professional boxer with 16 wins and 1 loss."

Clyde nodded, confirming what he was telling him about up to now.

"You're fucking shitting me aren't you." Lincoln chuckled. "And your dads? They were okay with what you wanted to do as a career?"

Clyde scoffed. "Oh hell no!" He suddenly raised his voice after hearing what Lincoln said. "They were completely against me in a career that even had a speck of violence to its name. They even threatened to disown me at one point if I continued doing what I wanted to do. Which I won't lie, it really did hurt me when I heard my own dads say something like that to me."

Lincoln raised his right eyebrow, surprised by the bold statement Clyde's father claimed. "Wow, that serious?"

Clyde nodded sadly. "Yeah, it was bad." He sighed. "My relationship with my parents weren't really... healthy for about four years. We were almost always arguing, yelling, screaming at each other pretty much everyday ever since my Junior year of High School began."

Lincoln lightly whistled. "Damn Clyde." He cleared his throat. "I didn't know it was that bad. You guys were so happy together before."

"That's because we were kids Lincoln." Clyde smiled at the thought of being a child again. "Young and carefree, not worrying about our futures at all during then. I'm just glad my dad's came to understand what I wanted to do in life and let me do what makes me happy."

"Oh yeah?" Lincoln smiled. "When did that happened."

Clyde smirked as his closed eyes faced the ground. "It was two years ago. I was 19, with four wins and zero losses." He began as his eyes slowly opened.

 _*Clyde's Flashback*_

It was round 11. There were only twenty seconds left on the clock and Clyde was being pummeled quickly to the corner. He was tired, exhausted and his blood felt as if it were seething inside of him. His right eye was swollen shut and his legs struggled to keep him from collapsing due to the continued jabs and punches that seemed to have no end. What was left of his vision grew hazy, and his arms struggled to be that barrier that prevented the unending pain his opponent was giving him. It was hell, complete hell for him at the moment. And just as if he never thought it would come. The heavenly sound of the bell dinging filled his ears; and the man before him backed off and went back to his corner as if disappointed he wasn't able to finish the job.

Clyde pushed himself out of the corner and proceeded to walk over to his own, only to stumble and fall on his knees as he did so.

"Clyde!" A middle aged African American man came over and helped him to his feet. "Come on, get on your feet kiddo." The man wrapped one of his arms over his shoulder and helped him to his feet before barking at one of his assistance to hurry up and place the stool down.

Clyde slumped on the wooden stool without any resistance as the people around him cleaned him up. He spat his mouth guard into a bucket before him that was filled with spit and blood from earlier rounds. They then filled his mouth with water before he spat once more into the bucket.

"Wa-Walt." He tiredly spoke. "W-Walt, I... I can't do the final round." He chokingly said. "I'm... I'm finished."

Walt, the man who helped him up before, knelt before him. "No you're not kid. I know you aren't." He began. "I can see it in your eyes. The dragon within you is still asleep."

"But... But Walt." Clyde heavily breathed. "I'm getting destroyed out there." He tried to explain. "I mean look at him, I barely even gave him a few scratches." He said.

"Clyde." He sighed. "If there's anything I ever taught you. It's to never give up no matter how much the odds are stacked against you." He paused, as if not knowing how he wanted to say his next words. "I-

"Hey!" The referee touched Walt's shoulder. "Time's up! He has to get back to the fight."

"Just give me a second!" Walt responded before looking back at Clyde who was a sweating mess. "I was suppose to be your mentor. Your teacher. Your guide. But... in truth you were the one who taught me so much with all you've been going through in and outside the ring. I couldn't make it big in this career. But I saw myself in you the moment I first saw how ambitious you were in this sport! A much better me." He lightly tapped Clyde's shoulders a few times. "So win or lose out there kid. I want you to go out there with your head held high! And show everyone here what it takes to survive and prosper within here. Teach them what it takes... teach _me_ what it takes to obtain the guts to never give up, just one more time. Please."

Clyde stared into Walts eye's. His mentor, his rock, his friend who supported him and was like family whenever he felt as if his dad's didn't care for him like they used to. He wanted to tear up, but he blinked them away before they could. "A-Alright." He nodded. "I'll do my best."

He stood up, and the dinging of the bell signaled that the final round has just begun.

 _*In the Crowd*_

"Come on Howwy!" Harold McBride, husband to Howard McBride and father to Clyde McBride spoke as he pulled Howard through the dense crowd who constantly cheered.

"I don't know why you brought us here in the first place. You know how much I dislike watching these sports; Especially with Clyde participating in it." Howard McBride replied with clear disdain and annoyance of cheering crowd.

"I know, Howard." Harold replied with clear concern. "But I just thought that we should give Clyde a chance and at least support him for once."

They both came to a stop a few rows away from the front. Howard yanked his hand out of his husbands and crossed his arms with clear annoyance.

"Don't tell me you're actually going along with this?! Harold, he could die in there!" He nearly screamed.

Just then the bell dinged signalling a new round has begun; And for the McBride parents, their attention was suddenly fixated on the ring. Curious and anxious to see their baby boy being put in harms way. They caught sight of Clyde moving to the center to try and control it, but was soon met with an on-slaughter of torturous blows that continued to throw him from corner to corner. This went on for a bit, and Harold had to look away a few times as tears threatened to spill seeing his baby boy being tossed around like a rag doll while they stood in the sidelines powerless to do anything.

Howard McBride gulped, and followed by that were the clenching of fist and grinding of his teeth as he saw what was happening. He was scared, distressed, but most of all he was absolutely furious seeing his son allowing this... this _vile creature_ , throw him around like a rag doll with no purpose. It was a infuriating, and dare he say it, a _disgrace_! They were McBride's. And though they weren't a family of violence; In the end no one, _NO ONE_ will fuck with the McBride's and get away with it.

So in a sudden motion, he picked his arms up to cup his mouth before screaming his lungs out. "Clyde! Kick his fucking ass already!"

 _*Back in the Ring*_

Clyde wasn't looking too good. He tried his best in the beginning to keep up with his opponent, but to no avail he was back in the corner guarding himself from being knocked out. He dodged, blocked, and shifted around him to try and get some room. But no matter what he did nor where he went, he was always pushed to the corner. Just then, as he attempted to block a punch the boxer before him fainted his blow before hitting him with a right cross across the face forcing him to spit his mouth guard out as well as liquid blood and saliva that were mixed together. He stumbled and fell to his hands and knees; The Boxer backed off seeing as he downed his opponent for his 3rd and most likely last time the entire match as the referee came forward and began counting. His vision was once again hazy, and he thought he saw four of his own arms holding him up causing him to blink before while he slowly began to force himself up. All while the referee yelled numbers loudly next to him, he was on six. Only by some sort of miracle was he back on his feet ready to continue the fight. Only to be forced into the corner once again by ongoing punches.

"This was it." He thought.

His biceps were burning of being held up for a long period of time, his arms, face, and body stung due to the countless of punches he endured up to this point. And his legs begged to rest. This was it. His last stand. He barely had enough energy to throw a weak jab. And then for some odd reason he heard someone scream his name from the crowd causing him to glance over despite the continuous punches thrown at him. The sight of his dad, Howard looking at him with disappointment yet pride filled his vision and his vision alone. And then he heard five words that filled his muscles and bones with monstrous adrenaline in a split second.

"Kick his fucking ass already!"

So with a mighty roar, he threw an under arm right punch straight to the lower gut with such force that he literally saw the guys eye balls nearly burst out of his eye sockets. The crowd grew silent for a second, stunned by the unexpected punch. And with this unexpected outcome, Clyde took this chance and put his offensive plan into action. Taking two steps forward, he leaned to the left to dodge a jab while giving two quick and hard jabs to the face before delivering a right cross under his armpits. The crowds cheers blew up once more, screaming louder than ever before as they witnessed the breathtaking climax that was happening before their very eyes. Clyde tried to dodge another jab, but reacted to slow and was hit directly on the nose. Though despite this attack, he kept pushing forward as if nothing ever happened. He now had his opponent up against the ropes on full defense covering his face. Clyde couldn't get a clear shot, so instead of trying to make an opening he began delivering hard blows to his arms to break his defense. And with quick speed it was a success as his right arm shot straight through his shattered defense knocking his head back with great force. The man stumbled forward hazily, his defense broken but was still standing. But with an uppercut thrown directly under the jaw, he fell to the floor staggering.

Clyde took a few step backs breathing heavily. His mentor was literally screaming with excitement and wanted to jump in and embrace him but still wasn't able to due to the round still going. He looked at the referee who was shouting near his fallen opponent who wiggled to his feet. The referee only counted to four before he backed away seeing as how the man was back in the fight. Clyde glared and picked his fists up once more as he continued to throw punches at him. He had him up against the ropes again and was about to knock him down once more, but the bell dinged signaling the end of the twelfth and final round.

The ring soon began to flood with reporters, trainers, sponsors, and other individuals alike. Chatter flew everywhere across the small square enclosure. Clyde was embraced by his mentor as well as a few others he came to befriend that were with him all smiling and laughing in shock at the unexpected performance Clyde presented. It was a time for joy, and then the announcer began speaking into the microphone bringing the noise down.

"After 12 long matches and brutal matches." He began. "The judges has come to a decision. The winner of this fight, by majority of decision!" He unfolded a piece of paper on his hand that read the winners name. "Geooorge Holmes~!"

Clyde lightly sighed, but a smile soon formed on his face. He knew he wouldn't be able to win the judges decisions since basically all of the rounds were won by his opponent, yet despite that fact he was still a tad bit disappointed by who would walk away as the winner. There was a mixture of cheers and boo's in the crowd, both with an even amount of supporters to overthrow the other sides voice once and awhile.

"Hey." Walt grabbed his right shoulder shaking him. "Don't let this get you down. You did great out there. I'm sure if there was ten more seconds on that clock you would've knocked him out for sure."

Clyde smiled, thanking his mentor for his guidance before looking out in the crowd to see both his dads smiling at him with a mixture of joy and pride to see who their son grown to be. He left the ring shortly after and embraced his parents who returned the hug with love. This was the first real loving hug they gave each other in such a long time that it was breathtaking to them. He left with his parents that day, riding home with smiles as they talked about his fight and future career as a professional boxer; They did all this while Clyde thought to himself that was his first _actual_ loss in his entire career. It sucked honestly. Yet despite that fact knowing that he didn't win...

he still felt as if he was never defeated.

 _*End Clyde's Flashback*_

Lincoln had his eyes closed. His head was nodding up and down all while he listened to Clyde retell the event that repaired his families broken relationship. "Wow." He forced the words out of his lips. His eyes slowly opened after a second longer. "That's insane." As he thought about what Clyde said, another question suddenly began to bug him.

"Say, Clyde?" He began once more. "Why are you down here in Cleveland, Ohio by the way? I thought I would've seen you down by Royal Woods when I came back."

Clyde shook his head. "No, I couldn't hold myself to that tranquil, quiet town for the rest of my life." He answered. "When I realized I wanted to be a fighter; Royal Woods presented little opportunity for me to grow. So I decided to move into the City. I left when I barely turned 18 since I didn't want to deal with my parents crap anymore at the time. Some of Ronnie Anne's relatives moved out awhile back so I was lucky to be invited to live with them; I believe it was Carlota and Bobby who left after building a stable enough bank account and job to thrive off of."

"Bobby?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "But I thought he was gonna take over the Bodega for Hector when he passes away."

Clyde nodded. "So did I. But I think he found something else he grew a passion for." He stood up.

"I see." Lincoln scratched his chin wondering how the Casagrande's household is doing right now. "Say, do you still live with Ronnie Anne?"

He shook his head. "No, I actually moved out about eight months ago." He leaned up against the wall. "Being a professional Boxer does pay really good. With all the sponsors you get by your popularity and the amount of money you receive after each fight. It's a good career."

"Oh yeah?" He scoffed. "How much you get paid."

"Well, depending how popular the fight is and how much people attend and watch it. The latest I've been earning is around 100k if I win. If I lose I still get to walk home with 50k." Clyde shrugged. "Which, I haven't lost to anyone besides that day two years ago.

Lincoln whistled. "You're making good money."

Clyde nodded. "Yeah, but enough about me." He looked over to Lincoln. His face was washed over with unease. "You've been gone fore ten years, man... And now you're back! It's still hard for me to believe it. You just disappeared one day all of a sudden without a trace." He took a deep breath and released the pent up emotions that were building up inside him before it could take any affect. "I asked your sisters about you, and all they ever told me was that you were sent to some camp for a month for something you didn't do. I was sadden I couldn't spend rest of the summer with my best bud. But I came to accept it and waited for school to come around to ask you what happened. But you were never there. Not the first day, not the second, nor the third. Before I knew it, days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became years. I never saw your sisters as much as I used to, but when I did, they were so different." A paused flowed over the two for a bit. And with this, Clyde finally asked the question that was burning in his head ever since he was a kid. "Just .. just what happened to you Lincoln?"

Lincoln sat quietly. His gaze fixated on the floor as he ran his fingers through his short hair, already having troubling memories flow through his head. "Clyde..." He inwardly gulped. "You're my best bud, and we've been friends for a very long time even despite my unexpected disappearance." He rubbed his palms together slowly. "And... to tell you the truth..." He looked up at Clyde, and his eyes seemed to have gone astray; Because at that very moment, Clyde couldn't recognize the person who held those eyes filled with such agony. It was foreign to him, unrecognizable.

"I-I don't even know what the hell I went through either." He finally said.

For the most part of the night, nothing else could be heard but a faint sob coming from Old Angle's Boxing Gym; While a friend, sat by his side for as long as he needed, all while he poured his heart out about troubles he went through.

* * *

Lincoln drove back in complete silence. After filling up the tank thanks to Clyde's generous offer, he couldn't help but feel relieved that he reconnected with his best bud. Clyde listened long, and without interruption to his slowly crumbling heart the entire night without blurting a word unless needed be. He smiled at the thought and couldn't help but gain a higher level of respect for him. He followed the line before him home; All the way to Royal Woods; Down the familiar streets; And parked in the same spot he left only hours ago. With a deep-breath, he released the steering wheel signaling the end of his ride, and opened the door where he stepped out into the cold brisk air that sent a shivering tingle through his exposed skin. He hated himself for not trying to say hello to Ronnie Anne, but he wouldn't give up on trying. After all, he had his best bud back in his life to help him with that issue.

Lincoln stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked across the lawn, onto the steps, and quietly through the door. He closed it behind him gently and looked at the ticking clock to see that it was a little past 4 in the morning. "Looks like I'm not getting any sleep tonight." He thought begrudgingly.

He kicked off his shoes and pushed them to the side before climbing up the steps. His socks only made it that much more quieter. As he made his way down the hall to his room, he suddenly came to a stop and looked at one of the rooms next to him. It led into Lisa's and Lily's room. He stood there thinking for a second about what he wanted to do; And then in a sudden motion he averted his body direction to his sisters room and opened it softly. He creep'd inside the lab mixed child like room and came up to Lily who snoozed quietly in her pillow clutching Bun-Bun in her hands.

His eyes settled on the stuffed rabbit, and he couldn't help but smile. "So that's where it went." He got down to his knees softly and rested his shoulders on the mattress; His gaze now fixated on his youngest sister. He extended his arm to her face, and with his thumb and index finger, scooted some loose strands of hair that covered her face to the side gently.

Lincoln doesn't like picking favorites among his sisters, but if there was anyone he grew a passion of keeping safe, that would be Lily. Not because she was the youngest, nor the cutest among his siblings. But because she looked like... _her..._ when they were kids. She looked like her, and with that comparison came certain protective instincts that wouldn't leave his side no matter how old her baby sister will get.

"Never letting go." He found himself saying those words he spoke to her a decade ago. He stayed like that until he himself succumbed to the world of sleep that overcame his awareness.

* * *

*Back with Clyde*

Despite the fact that the sun was literally peaking on the horizon. Clyde felt as if it was a time to be jogging around the city. He had a lot to think about right now. And with Lincolns reappearance as well as the tormenting thoughts he's going through, he really had a lot to think of to make sure his best friend wouldn't lose his sanity.

 _"They took her from me Clyde. They took her! A-And it's... fucking killing me because I don't even know if she's dead!"_

That sentence replayed in his head. That one, annoying, sentence. It irritated him, taunted him, and just like Lincoln, it was _killing_ him as well. He came to a stop at Casagrande's Bodega. And when he noticed where he was, he squinted his eyes shut and clenched his fist tightly for awhile before releasing them. He knew what he had to do.

"Ronnie Anne needs to hear of this." He thought regretfully. "She'll know what to do."

* * *

 _*Loud Residence*_

Lily awoke from her peaceful slumber groggily. Letting out a small yawn, she tried to rub her eyes to disperse the sleepiness within them; Only to feel a restricting weight that made it abnormally hard to lift. With droopy eyes, she looked down on her lap to be greeted by her sleeping brother. It took a few seconds to understand where they were and why Lincoln was here, and after deeming what could've been the possibly of his presence here, a small smile graced her lips as she used her free hand to play with his hair.

Not a few minutes later, Lisa sat up on her bed and looked over at her sister. "For what reason brings our elder brother-sibling here?" She questioned after taking notice of Lincoln.

"I don't know." Lily responded. "...but if I were to guess, I think he had a bad night again."

Lisa nodded, throwing her legs over her bed she pushed herself to her feet. Her pajamas still on her, she left the room shortly before saying. "Just make sure he rekindles his conscious, for our daily schedule requires us to depart to our educational institution in less than an hour."

With that, she left Lily in her room as she left to use the restroom.

"You could've just said school." Lily thought before turning her gaze back to her sleeping brother, and after a few minutes took it upon herself to wake him up. It was a fight between them at first, but after a few failed attempts, Lincoln seemed to understand why he needed to get up. So reluctant effort, he pushed himself to his feet. And with a kiss to Lily's forehead, he left the room without another word back to his own before collapsing on his bed; Not to be disturbed until later on that day.

 _*That Afternoon*_

Lincoln rolled himself over on his bed, only to fall off hitting the floor making him groan. "I need a bigger bed." He muttered as he looked around his room. His thoughts wandered into having more space for himself, like moving out, but he shook those thoughts away. He didn't want to part ways from his family, it still didn't feel like the right time. Besides, ten years away from them all was pretty much long enough for awhile. He pushed himself up onto his feet, and after cracking his tense back he left the room to see what was going on today with his humble home.

"Hello!" He called out to no one in particular. "Anyone home?"

He went from room to room, all of them vacant of human life. So with a sigh, he plopped himself down on the couch wondering what he should do today. His stomach grumbled signaling that he was hungry, so he walked into the kitchen in search for a meal only to see a plate of eggs and bacon wrapped in clear plastic on the table. And on the side of it, a note. He opened the plate of food knowing that his mother made it for him, not paying any mind to the note next to it. As hemunched down, only then did he read the note.

 ** _Lincoln, since Lily comes out at 12:30 PM from Elementary School today, it would be great if you'd pick her up for us. Your father and I are currently busy, and so are all of your sisters at the moment. We left the Vanzilla for you to drive. Thank you for understanding. Love Mom._**

Lincoln pushed the note to the side and looked at the clock to see that it was 12:26. He nearly choked when he saw this and left the kitchen in a hurry. Grabbing the keys for the Vanzilla on the counter and putting on the shoes he kicked off last night he rushed out the door in a matter of seconds before speeding down the streets in the vehicle.

He arrived at Royal Woods Elementary at 12:38. It was cold and cloudy, and it seemed to have rained a bit a few hours ago since puddles were littered across the concrete pavement. Surprisingly there were still a few kids awaiting their parents or guardians arrival. He pulled up in the driveway expecting to see Lily sitting on the steps waiting, but no recognition of his sister could be distinguished among the few remaining youth. He stayed parked there for a few minutes waiting, expecting for her sister to pop out somewhere any second in search for him. It was now 12:54, everyone had already vacated the premises leaving no sign of human life near the school. Lincoln tapped his fingers on the steering wheel nervously. And then, with overwhelming concern he began driving around the school trying to scout out her baby sister. Everywhere he turned, there was nothing. She wasn't on the field, near the bus stop, nor walking down the sidewalks. She couldn't have gone walking home or else he would've seen her when driving to school. And with the sharp vision that he learned when setting off firearms, the thought of her slipping his line of sight was impossible.

He turned down a street and saw a group of kids, there were four of them possibly around 14 years old walking towards the Elementary school laughing. He slowed down when they came up next to him, but he didn't stop. He eye'd them all, and they all looked at him for a second too still laughing. With unease they parted ways when he turned down another street. And there near the end of the block he saw her.

Lily was sitting next to the curb, her feet pulled to her chest as she buried her face in her legs. She was soaked, a puddle of water sat beneath her as papers most likely of school work was littered all over the place. He came to a screeching stop next to her and got out.

"Lily." He went over and crouched down to eye level.

Even after calling her name, she refused to look up. She wouldn't move, and she didn't twitch when he touched her shoulder. It was like she was in shock. He wrapped his left arm around her soaked jeans and his right behind her back and picked her up bridal style. As he walked her to the Vanzilla, only then did he notice the cuts that were on her small fragile arms and legs. Not all of them were bad, but the few that were bled quite a bit.

After setting her down on the passenger side of the Vanzilla he turned the heater on to full blast to help warm up after being soaked. He searched the vehicle in search for something to wrap around her sister. A duffel bag sat behind the drivers seat so he opened it only to be disappointed to see Lynn's baseball gear. He left it there and went to open the back of the vehicle were there was thankfully a blanket sitting and brought it back with him wrapping it around her sister. Lily pretty much snuggled into the blanket after being enveloped in it; and thankfully she seemed to have recover a little bit of her senses.

"Lily." Lincoln once again spoke her name, but more soothingly this time. "...who did this to you?"

Lily still didn't answer... verbally that is. She turned her head slightly to glance behind her, back where Lincoln came from. That was all her brother needed to know before starting the engine and going back the way he came from. She felt her brothers hand rest on her lap rubbing it in attempt to calm her down some more.

"It'll be alright Lily."

She heard him say. She didn't know what happened next for she refused to look up out the window to see where they were headed. After a few seconds, she felt her brother made a hard left turn bumping up onto the sidewalk. The Vanzilla screeched to a stop in front of four people who yelled at the sudden appearance of the vehicle that almost ran them over.

"Hey! What the fuck man! We're walking here!"

"Yeah, you trying to kill us or something ya lunatic!"

Lily heard those voices again. Those voices who hurt her. Those voices who she never knew of until this day. Why did they hurt her? What did she do? She never knew them at all yet they did this. But even after hearing those voices, she refused to look up. Instead, she wrapped her blanket around her tighter as if it was a shield that would protect her from the outside world. She felt Lincoln give her a kiss on the head before reaching behind his seat to grab a baseball bat from Lynn's old bag.

"Sing a Lullaby Lily."He spoke. "Big Brother will make the monsters go away."

Lily didn't know why, but hearing the tone in her brothers tone sent an icy shiver throughout her body. He sounded so... _malicious_. Like after years of impeccable endurance, he just finally snapped. The door soon popped open, and followed by it were one of the most haunting sounds she's ever heard in her life.

"H-Hey, what are you doing with that bat?"

She heard another one of them say in fear, concern, and worry. Each sound, each foot step, each breath and whistling of an object or limb being thrown was resonated in her ears clearer than an untainted crystal. And then the screams of pain and agony came.

"Dave!" Another said. "Y-You fucker, Jump him!"

She didn't want to hear anymore. No more monsters. No more pain. No more violence. No more! So in attempt to distance herself from vengeful act her brother is responding with, she followed his advice and decided to sing to herself to block out the suffering. Her voice came shaky and slow.

 ** _[(It's Only the Fairy Tale's End Lyrics) Optional to read the lyrics]_**

 ** _Who are those little girls in pain_**

A groan was heard followed by whistling ping. And then something hit the car making her think that Lincoln threw someone against the vehicle. It was calling her, the deeds that have been under progression outside taunted her. Yes she wanted revenge, but this wasn't how she wanted it.

 ** _Just trapped in a castle on the dark side of the moon_**

"P-Please, stop!"

 ** _Twelve of them shining bright in vain_**

Another ping filled her ears and she began to sing louder. "No more pain. Please." She thought snuggling deeper into her blanket.

 ** _Like flowers that blossom just once, in years._**

"Please! Please! S-Somebody help us!"

 ** _They're dancing in the shadows like whispers of love_**

A siren off in the distance arrived in a matter of seconds and screeched to a stop just next to the Vanzilla. She could make out the colors of red and blue in the corner of her eye telling her the police arrived.

 ** _Just dreaming of a place where they're free~ as doves_**

"Drop the weapon now!"

 ** _They'll never be allowed to love in this cursed cage_**

"I said drop it!"

 ** _It's only the Fairy Tale they believe_**

A shocking sound was set off followed by an annoying sound of electricity buzzing.

 ** _They're dancing in the shadows like whispers of love_**

"He's not going down, tase him with another!"

 _ **Just dreaming of a place where they're free~ as doves**_

"Suspect is down. We need an immediate ambulance by the Royal Woods Elementary School ASAP!"

 ** _They'll never be allowed to love in this cursed cage_**

"Hey, I think there's a kid in the vehicle."

 ** _It's only the Fairy Tale they believe_**

All was quiet now. The weather seemed to take a drastic change in such a short amount because it began to rain rather intensely. Lily's door opened and a Police Officer (Female) look at her cold and reluctant eyes.

"Come on little one." She spoke with kindness. "We'll bring you on down to the station where your parents will pick you up." She picked Lily up gently and brought her over to one of the few police vehicles that arrived on scene.

Lily didn't resist, she just kept her blanket wrapped around her small fragile body and allowed herself to be taken. After a few steps, she caught sight of the few kids earlier groaning and sobbing on the floor in a bloody mess as Paramedics rushed to tend to their wounds while bringing them to the vehicle to hurry them to the hospital for further medical assistance.

"Someone as young as you shouldn't have witnessed this." The Police Officer spoke as she placed her in the back of the cop car. "But you're a really brave girl for being able to avoid that monster. Don't worry, you'll be safe from now on." With that, she shut the door and the vehicle drove off.

Lily passed by the flashing lights and the commotion among the officers and growing crowd that was near the incident where it took place. As they were about to pass the last few vehicles, she saw Lincoln being led by 2 officers in handcuffs to another vehicle. The two laid eye contact for one last time; Never leaving each others gaze until it was no longer possible to do so.

Lily turned back facing the front quietly. She wished she had Bun-Bun with her. It always made her feel better. Just like it had for her brothe- ...

 _"You're a really brave girl for being able to avoid that monster." The lady's voice repeated in her head_

"That monster, is my brother." She thought in anger at the woman for labeling her brotherher. "He's a monster..." Though despite her anger, every time she repeated those words after hearing the suffering those other kids went through. Labeling him such a bold name became more believable.

"He's a monster..."

* * *

Rita Loud was in the middle of helping her patient on his dental hygiene when she a colleague came to her.

"Rita! You got a phone call. They say it's urgent."

Rita Loud looked at her partner who nodded at her in approval.

"Go ahead, I'll finish up here."

With a smile under her mask, she took her gloves off with a snap before heading to the front where the call was waiting to be answered.

"Hello? This is Rita Loud speaking...uhuh... Uhuh... Wait, what?!"

* * *

Lincoln sat along quietly in a lone cell. They decided that he was too dangerous to be placed among other cell mates so he was kept in a separate one. There he held his head low fiddling with his fingers. They wouldn't seem to stop moving no matter how hard he tried, so he allowed them to do so. As took slow deep breaths to help keep his nerves under control he could only think of the scenario he caused.

He fucked up... He fucked up real bad. But it wasn't his fault. They were gonna take her away again like they did back _there_. That was how they planned it out. They brought harm to her for a couple of days. And then when she was at her weakest, they took her from him just like that. But he caught them this time. Oh and he sure taught them...

did he?

A pain filled headache suddenly rushed through his nerves causing him to grasp his forehead tightly as he let out a pain filled groan. It all came back to him instantly. It wasn't them. They were kids... just mere kids who bullied her sister. He should've handled it differently. And yet, he almost killed them. He was just about to start smashing there head in when his body was filled with an enormous tingling sensation that stopped him mid-swing.

"Oh shit." He sputtered out as if he was close to sobbing his heart out. "Oh fucking shit. I'm screwed... I'm so screwed!"

He repeated those words until he practically began sobbing them out. His life was over. Over! He was going to turn 22 in a few months and it's now going to be spent forever behind bars because he couldn't control himself. "Fuuuuck!" He sniffed.

A baton hit his cell a few times gaining his attention.

"You got a few visitors." The guard said as he left.

There he could only be delighted to see his best bud. Though confused on how he knew where he was at the moment. "Clyde!" He almost yelled jumping to his feet. "Am I glad to see you."

"Hey Lincoln!" Clyde replied with his own smile. "Good to see you again."

The two pretty much stood face to face now despite the fact that a metal bar separated them.

"How did you know I was being held here."

Clyde chuckled. "Well, words spread pretty fast in Royal Woods. You should know that Lincoln. It sucks to see you're in here." He grasped the poll with one of his hands. "But that's not why I'm here."

Lincoln cocked an eyebrow up. "Then why are you?"

"Well." He rubbed the back of his head while looking to the side gesturing with his left hand as if calling someone over.

A new person appeared before him. Female, brown skin, black hair and rather pretty. "Hello Lincoln."

Lincoln gulped and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before opening them again trying to put on an honest and welcoming smile. "Hello Ronnie."

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **Yup. I know, I know.** **A lot of shit went down right now and I'm sure none of you expected for this to happen. What happened to Ellie?! Is she really what most of you think her current state is at the moment? How will Ronnie's reaction to Lincoln returning unfold?! What of Lily's perspective of her brother now? Is she really gonna look at him as her brother anymore? Will I ever finish this story anytime soon?! (Perhaps not)**

 **Find out all your answers next time on Total! Drama! Is-**

 ***beep***

 **Wrong fic.**

 **Let me know what you guys think. And do tell of what you think may happen. I'd love to hear your theories.**

 **Peace!**


	9. Chapter 9

The Royal Woods Police Department wasn't what you would call busy, but it certainly had some decent activity going on at the moment. Officers were scattered around the area filing in reports or just making small chat with others around. A few doors were open, and some secluded to the public. Lily sat in an isolated room speaking to a Detective (Male) about the incident that happened only awhile back; though he made sure to speak to her in a more comforting and vulnerable tone to let her know that he wasn't trying to force anything that she wouldn't be pleasant with.

"Do you know what you heard?" He spoke softly to her. "Any words, any noise at all?"

Lily sat in silence still huddled in her blanket refusing to make eye contact with the man who sat next to her.

The detective inwardly sighed at the lack of communication he was receiving. "Okay." Reaching down he pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. "How about what you saw? Did you see anything?" He asked.

Lily once again remained still without a sound. She had no intentions to inform the Detective of any sort of sound she heard or behavior she witnessed. And she intended to keep it that way even though she wanted some kind of justice for those four kids.

"He wanted to protect me." She said, and those will be the only words she'll let out of her lips.

"Protect you?" He questioned, slightly caught off guard yet in relief as well for he was able to get something out of her. However, the response he received wasn't what he expected to hear. "Why did he want to protect you? And from who?"

Lily turned away as to inform that she was done speaking. The Detective tried to persist on this matter, but his partner who stood next to him rest his palm on his shoulder as a sign to not pressure her. A knock on the door was heard; And in came an officer.

"Excuse me, if you're done. I have some family members waiting who would really like to see the-" He was cut off when Lori, Leni, and Lucy barged into the room and hugged Lily.

The Detective sighed and stood up. "Yeah we're done." He and his partner made their way to the door to allow there family bonding to commence without interruption.

"Oh my god! Lily are you okay?" Surprisingly, it was Lucy who spoke for the other two seeing as they were lightly crying. "W-Where's Lincoln?"

The Detective stopped at this and turned suddenly as if he found a missing piece to the puzzle. It's weird because he made sure to gather some info on all the victims background from birth year to their reputation in this town. It was to help figure out why this incident happened in the first place. They tried to get some background history on the culprit, but he refused to speak his name. They checked the database for previous criminal records, and even had his facial features examined as well. Yet there was no match all. It was like he appeared from thin air. And from what he can remember, there was no one named Lincoln at or near the sight of the crime, so that could mean...

"Lincoln? Who is he?" He asked.

Lucy blinked back a little bit of tears and looked at the detective. "H-He's our brother. He just came back almost five months ago after his disappearance one day during summer."

"Does he have white hair? Tall? And has a well built body?"

"Y-Yeah." She replied. "W-Why? You know where he is?!"

The Detective sat and thought to himself for a few seconds. So the culprits first name is Lincoln, and the girl who was a part of the incident is Lily Loud. She's related to the other girls in this room who said that the suspect is their brother. So his last name should be Loud. It's weird because that name, Lincoln Loud, sounds so familiar to him yet he couldn't quite place his finger on it. And then all of a sudden his eyes widened in realization. But as quickly as it came, it soon dissipated to which he answered Lucy's question.

"Yes, he's alright. You'll figure out what's going on quite soon." With that he quickly left the room and sped walked down the hall followed by his partner who struggled to keep up.

"You okay, Chandler?" His partner asked with concern to now named, Chandler, "You acted a bit strange back there."

Chandler shrugged his concern off. "Never mind that, I want every last file of Lincoln... _Loud_ on my desk by the end of the day. You think you can do that for me?!" He rudely asked.

"U-um sure thing. I'll get right to it." He separated from Chandler in search for any files his partner wished to have in his grasp.

Chandler went into his office and sat on his chair kicking his feet up onto the desk thinking of his childhood life. He was Lincolns childhood bully I guess you could say. He used him whenever he had something he wasn't able to gain access to easily. And to this day he didn't feel any signs of remorse for how he treated Lincoln; BUT, he did wish that he grew up more friendly to the people around him. Hell, he and Linc could've been best buds if he actually was.

During that summer before he knew Lincoln went missing, he began to get interested in law enforcement. Perhaps it was because he watched a lot of shows like Cops, and Live PD when he was a kid. And as much as his past self hated the thought of it, he never really liked being the trouble-making kid he used to be.

Fast forward to the first week of school, news spread like wild fire across campus of a missing child. Hell, it even spread across Royal Woods. Day and night, the community took time out of the day to help search for the missing kid only to come back empty handed. They spread the information to neighboring towns, who also spread the message to there neighboring towns and so on to help track the kid down. But it was like he vanished into thin air. Only when he realized it was Lincoln, someone he could care less for but _knew_ nonetheless; Who was actually the child missing those years was the day he vowed to become some kind of figure that would help protect the community. He knew Lincoln was a good kid, a _really_ good kid that didn't deserve to be taken from his home. Even despite his hostility to him, he knew that he didn't deserve what he was given that year.

And now... he's back. And he was surprised he hadn't heard of it. Something as big as this should have spread like wildfire like his disappearance a decade ago. It should of been local news. Hell, it should of been nationwide news! Yet it never happened. Why? Just why?

That was the only word that stuck to him for the rest of the day.

Why?

* * *

*Back with Lily*

After Lori, Leni, and Lucy settled their emotional state down, they released Lily from their grasp as they wiped the tears that were able to escape their eyes. Lily seemed distraught, not at her elder sisters, but the incident still confused her greatly even now. She hated her brother for taking it to a different level of violence, but she was thankful as well. She just doesn't know what to do right now. Not that anyone would be surprised by her unmindful state; After all, she is an eleven year old child.

"H-How..." Lily began to speak. "How did you know I was here?"

Lori sniffed. "We got a call from mom. She told us... well, me everything. We were at the mall which so happened to be just a few block away from the Police Department. So we dropped everything and rushed here after mom called me." She hugged Lily again feeling her heart about to break again. "I-I'm so sorry you had to hear all of that Lily."

"W-What happened Lori?" Leni rubbed her eyes. "Like, you told us that Lily seemed to be traumatized by something, but you never specified what."

Lori looked at Leni and Lucy who awaited her response in curiosity. "Um, well you see-"

"Lily!" Rita came in a rush followed by Lynn Jr. The mother of the Loud girls embraced her youngest daughter in relief that she was now safe in her arms. "Don't worry, Momma's here." She spoke.

Lynn went and stood aside Lucy and Leni. "Yo, what happened." She questioned Lucy when receiving a call from her about where they were headed and barely any knowledge why. At first she was reluctant to go, but the mention of Lily being there made her drop work and rush down here immediately

"That's what we're gonna hear soon."

Rita looked at the rest of her daughters with clear signs that she was crying a bit. "Kids, you may wanna sit down."

"Mom?" Lynn questioned. "What's going on? Where's Lincoln? Wasn't he suppose to pick up Lily?"

All these questions confused most of the sisters greatly. Something bad must've happened if Lily was here, but what of Lincoln? Why wasn't he here with her? So many unanswered riddles, and so little patients were among them. Everyone's attention on their mother demanding for an explanation.

Rita slowly nodded. "That's what I'm going to explain, so please sit and here what I have to tell you all."

* * *

Clyde stared wide eye'd at the scene literally before him. If he knew this was gonna happen he would've bought some popcorn to go along with the unforeseen entertainment before him. Before either of them could utter a word, Ronnie grabbed a hold of the collar on Lincolns sweater and yanked him to her before giving him a long unexpected kiss. They stayed like that for nearly five seconds before she released him. It was such an abrupt move that even Ronnie Anne was caught off by her sudden actions. She took a few steps back and looked into his eyes searching for any sign of emotion. But that one look into his eyes told it all, every last thought he held was unleashed before her like a readable book. Her heart hurtled at such speed, her arms were trembled in undeniable dismay, and her own thoughts were uncertain even for her. So with a sniff, she fled the area quickly not having the courage to look at this... _man_ like she had when coming to confirm the claims Clyde gave her just early this morning. She didn't have to understand what was going on, but there was one thing she was certain of.

He wasn't _hers_ anymore.

Clyde grew uneasy with the on going silence. It was weird, it's been nearly half a minute yet nothing was spoken. He examined Ronnie's facial expression only to see that she seemed troubled. And then she suddenly bolted his way. "Ronnie-"

He reached out to grab her, but she shook him off easily proceeding down the hall. He looked back at Lincoln who stared ahead to where Ronnie was last standing, his expression was unreadable. So with a frustrated sigh on who he should comfort, he called out to Lincoln.

"Lincoln, I'm gonna check on how she's coping with this. I promise I'll be back and we'll settle this once and for all."

Not checking to make sure he understood what he said, Clyde turned and rushed out of the room in search for Ronnie. Intending to get an explanation out of her.

Another few meaningless seconds flew by, Lincoln finally shifted his body to take a seat on the bench once more. He reached up and lightly touched his lips with his index finger and ran it across the soft skin. Glancing at the toilet in the corner of the cell he swiftly made his way to it, dropped to his knees, and vomited inside the metal bowl filled with liquid.

*With Clyde*

"Ronnie!" He yelled after spotting her leaning against a wall outside the Police Department. After approaching her he leaned against the wall next to her crossing his arms. "Hey, what's wrong? Why'd you just bolted on us all of a sudden?"

Ronnie closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't fucking know." He looked away. "It's just..." She stopped mid sentence and sighed in regret. "I wish I could've kissed him like that before he just up and left. I should've told him how I felt, and how much he meant to me even if I do kind of show him that _'tough love'_ kind of affection. But that was the only way I knew how to express myself; and I know it wasn't the healthiest way, but I didn't know what to do. So just imagine that it's been ten years, **_ten_ **freaking years that I last saw him. I couldn't believe it; and a part of me still can't even comprehend the half of what's going on that - I-I guess I just reverted back to my eleven year old self when I saw him again. Just looking into his eyes - he pulled me in Clyde. He pulled me - and I kissed him!"

She smiled as her emotional level made a complete 180. "I couldn't believe it, I finally kissed the person I _loved!"_ She began to lightly chuckle in joyful disbelief. "My mother, my brother, everybody told me that it was just a childhood crush and that I'll get over him. And at first I believed them! I never felt this way towards anybody but him before, and I still don't Clyde! I still don't. And as cliche and corny as it sounds, it was like Lincoln and I were really meant to be together."

Her smile slowly faded and she once again sighed in a depressingly low emotional state. "Yet when I pulled back, he was - different. That's when I began to understand that, we just aren't those kids anymore. We aren't those kids who would ride around on our bikes all day long; Or we'd go out and have fun at Gus' Games & Grubs; Or even rush home in a panic when we see that it was beginning to get dark and we know our parents would kill us if the street lights turned on and we weren't home by then." She rubbed her left arm, reluctant to admit the words she's been saying. "We aren't those kids Clyde. I can see that now. We don't have that childhood enjoyment anymore; I just can't believe it took me this long to come to terms with this inevitable fact I refused to believe."

Silence engulfed the two in a short, yet lengthy amount of time. It became obscure to find something, anything to say that'll help eradicate the growing muteness between the two long-term friends.

"I'm sorry for telling you this Clyde." Ronnie broke the silence. "I shouldn't have come here in the first place."

"No." Clyde finally made his voice heard after what felt like an unending silence. "I should be apologizing. I came to you because I was worried for Lincoln and felt that you had the answers to his problems. But now I realize how our influence upon him is meaningless. Whatever he's going through is tragic; Of this I have no doubt. I have no intentions of abandoning my..." He looked away, clear hesitation readable in his eyes. "...my _friend_. Nonetheless, this is a fight that Lincoln must face on his own. Though it won't change the fact that he can turn his attention to us for guidance. And when he does, I'll be there for him."

Ronnie couldn't help but sigh, it's been a rather hectic day. "Clyde?" She asked

Clyde turned his gaze back towards Ronnie. "Yeah?"

"Do you? ...by any chance, think he felt at least a _little_ happy to see me?"

Clyde remained silent for a while before a smiling scoff enveloped his lips. "Are you kidding me?" He lightly chuckled. "I'm sure he was."

* * *

Lynn leaned up against the wall holding her left upper arm with her hand. She wasn't in shock, but she felt a little traumatized by what her mother had told them all. To think Lincoln would commit such a vile and malicious act is... it's so _bizarre_ just by the thought of it. Not to mention the condition they were left in after the police subdued their brother left her stomach wrenching. They would practically be wrapped in bandages for the next month or so while undergoing at least a dozen or more surgeries that left them in critical condition. She wouldn't be surprised if any of them fell into a coma or winded up with autism.

But the fate of Lincoln, the most dearest male figure in her life, remain undisturbed in the center of her thoughts. There's no way they would let him come home now. They're going to take him away, just like last time. And this time they won't give him back. There's absolutely no way she'd be able to live another ten or so years... perhaps even the rest of her lifespan without Lincoln's presence, not again. She'd rather die than have that nightmare become her reality once more.

There had to be some way this could blow over without the imprisonment of Lincoln. But being clueless to how law and order functioned in this country, (Besides the basics of course) she had no idea if there actually IS a way to at _least_ make his sentence less... severe.

Rita couldn't bare to witness her daughters reactions. To see their faces twist in disgust and then proceed to shatter into a million pieces after realizing that their brother could possibly be facing a life long jail sentence wasn't something a mother would like to see.

"Kids." She spoke after the silence became to overwhelming for her. "We have to go home."

"And leave Lincoln here?!" Leni rose her voice.

"I know it's something none of us are willing to do. But they won't release him to us like this. You girls should know that."

Leni wanted to retort to the statement her mother made; but choked on her own tongue when realizing that she was right. One hundred percent, unquestionably right. She could only hang her head in defeat knowing her mother has triumphed over her attempt to stay. Not that it would do anything.

One by one the girls left the room; At first, hesitant. But after a few small steps out the door they fled the area like roaches seeking shelter. Rita was about to step out of the room when she noticed her youngest child, Lily. Has yet to move from her seated position the entire time.

"Lily?" Rita soothingly called. "Aren't you coming?"

She didn't respond verbally to her call, instead she planted her small and gentle feet on the ground, pushed herself up, and proceeded to walk towards and past her mother without giving so much a glance. This action couldn't help but have Rita believe that she was still in slight shock.

Nobody noticed the roughly sketched drawing of a certain brother possessively, yet protectively; looking out for a particular green-eyed girl.

* * *

Midnight called upon small town of Royal Woods, and once more the Loud House wasn't as particularly loud as it used to be. To say that breaking the news to the remaining sister that weren't present when the tragedy struck was something one wished was a piece of cake. But nothing was easy in this wretched world anymore. Whatever you needed, you had to take it. And whatever was yours would some day be stolen if not properly observed. That's how we function as a society - no, as a world. Human or not, if you wish to prosper in these secretly hostile terrains you must take what isn't yours. And give nothing in return.

Regret, nothing.

Drops of rain continued to trickle down from the gloomy sky above. One particular drop landed on the window of Loud residency. And from the other side of the glass where warmth remains undisturbed was a forefinger that pressed itself up to that one specific drop of liquid. That finger traced the minuscule amount of fluid as it slowly slid down the window to meet its inevitable end when it reaches the base of whatever was down there. It was weird how one could reflect a life to a single drop of water. Almost like a - fantasy of some sorts. A nightmarish one perhaps.

Luna inwardly sighed at this. This wasn't how she planned for this day - this _night_ , to play out. She had this song she really wanted her brother to hear, only to be destroyed by this - this -

"Ugh!" She inwardly growled despite the fact that a few groans escaped her lips.

She couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. That bewildered sense of paradox that was informed to her just mere minutes ago - or so that's how it felt. All while the dripping rain drummed her hearing out of its soul purpose of apprehending her surroundings by sound alone. It was so - enclosing; and a sense of Claustrophobia chilled her down to the bone.

Her Acoustic guitar leaned against the wall next to the window just mere inches away from her. Wherever she went, she was never far away from her guitar. It was the only thing that provided her a quick, and easy escape route from the rummaging emotions that led her nowhere. In response to her poorly composed emotions, she reached over to her guitar, bringing it up onto her lap, and strummed it a few times to make sure all of the strings were on their proper notes.

When the deed was done, she slowly began to rhythmically play. Everyone was asleep, so she had to make sure she wasn't playing loud enough to disturb their slumber - or at least that's what she thought they were doing.

[Song Lyrics; Joel and Ellie's song (Optional to read Lyrics)]

 _I'm just a poor - wayfaring stranger_

 _Traveling through - this world of woe_

 _There is no sickness - no toil, nor danger_

 _In that bright, land, to which I go_

 _I'm going there -_ _To see my mother_

 _She said she'd meet - me when I come_

 _I'm just-a go~ ing, Over Jordan._

 _I'm just-a go~ ing, Over home_

Luna took a light, depressing breath. Looking out the lightly clouded window, she continued to sing.

 _I know dark clouds - Will gather 'round me_

 _I know my way - Is rough and steep_

 _But beauteous fields - Lie just before me_

 _Where gods redeemed - Their vigils keep_

 _I'm going there - To see my **brother**_

 _I'm going there - No more to roam_

 _So, I'm just go~ ing, Over Jordan_

 _I'm just go~ ing, Over home_

 _I'm just a go~ ing_

 _..._

* * *

In the dark corner of the jail cell, where only a faint glimmer of the moonlight was able to shine down upon, sat Lincoln. The gleam flowed through a crack in the roof allowing a faint and almost unnoticeable line of luminosity to outline his dull, lifeless eyes. An indefinite redness could also be seen within them giving barely any verification that he's been wailing. He closed his eyes, only reopening them to look at the crack above that signified freedom; yet was also a place that would most definitely lead him astray. It was a pathway to god, to freedom, to paradise. All he had to do was take it. One misuse of a firearm could do the trick; Or perhaps a leap off a bridge where _God_ would strap wings on his shoes, allowing him to fly high in the sky, much like Hermes in Greek mythology, where then he could be able to soar into heaven where he could finally understand the meaning of the word, harmony; Or maybe - He ran his hands across the cold floor as his eyes fell upon the corners of the benches that was placed in here. Just _maybe_ , if he threw his head just hard enough on the corner that would lead to undeniable - unquestionable death or coma like state. Maybe then!

He shifted his knees upwards towards his chest and was about to get up as if he found the answer to all of his questions, but stayed seated when realizing how crazy he began to sound. Lincoln wasn't a religious person, much less a spiritual one at that. He grew up with his family going to church every passing Sunday, but as they grew older those trips for Sunday Mass became less and less frequent. He couldn't remember the last time he prayed to God, such a thought usually never crossed a young ones mind due to how occupied and childish their thoughts were. But now, in this dark room where the chilled air felt so sharp against his skin - he never felt such an urge to pray for forgiveness. So he prayed in silent mutters, begging God and Jesus to forgive him of his sinful actions and malicious intent he released onto those four children. He silently asked for them to watch over their health, and to give them and their family's the strength to make sure they all make a full recovery.

He shut his eyes tightly, his lower lip quivered uncontrollably, and his prays began to scream louder and louder in his ears. His heart rate grew, his breathing intensified, and he felt as if something was tugging on his conscience. At first, it was bothersome, but then the pain grew to which he clutched his ears in agony as if there was tweezers poking around inside his ear drums. It stung violently, and the urge to scream became more transparent. And then in a sudden instant, the pain - ceased to exist. There was no nagging feeling in the back of his skull, no thoughts to rummage through, no pain to endure.

He felt - whole.

His eyes slowly opened, and a concentrated blue light glowed just in the corner on the other side of the cell. When his vision became more comprehensible, and his eyes finally took in the glimmer in its full form, he couldn't help but feel his heart get caught in his throat.

"Ja- ..." It became difficult to fully register the person before him, much less say its name.

Without a word, the blue - _spirit_ , turned and walked through the metal bars that isolated Lincoln from freedom.

"W-Wait!" Lincoln sprung to his feet and made a dash to the front of the cell. "Come back, I-"

He shockingly stumbled right through the metal bars, only just managing to catch himself from face planting the hard pavement. His thoughts frozed for a second as he tried to understand what the hell just happened. Looking back in the small compartment that held him captive, he reached out to grab the bar - only for his arm to go right through it. He pulled back slowly and looked at his palm for a split second bewildered.

"What the..."

His gaze settled down the hall where the blue light was, where - _he_ \- was staring at him as if waiting for his approach. Lincoln took a step towards him only for the door that _he_ stood on the other side of to close on him.

"Oh no you don't." He thought as he dashed towards the end of the hall way and burst through the door, only to skid to a stop when he came face to face with a giraffe.

The giraffe noticed his presence, and instead of being startled and fleeing, brought his head down to his height to look at him from his perspective. After a few short seconds, it lost interest in him and brought his head back to up continue to devour its meal high up in the trees. Everywhere around him there were herds of various animals. Elephants, Hippopotamus's, Gazelles, Baboons, Lions, Hyenas - only then did he realize that he was back in Somalia, half way across the world. But how? How was he able to get from a small Jail Cell in Royal Woods, to an open terrain thousands of miles away in East Africa? This made no sense!

A baby's cry filled his ears, and the scene before him began to deconstruct into particles as he appeared in front of a - warehouse? No, it wasn't a warehouse. This building looked more natural and roughed around the edges, it was connected to the earth - a cavern. And he - _he_ was waiting for him again with that unreadable gaze. Why is he toying with him like this? What use would this bring either of them in the long run? Would this be the punishment given to him for making an irrational decision that got _him_ execu-

Lincoln clenched his fist and gritted his teeth! "What do you want from me!" He all but screamed. "I'm sorry okay, I shouldn't have done what I did. But I can't change the past alright! I wish I could, but I just can't!"

Without a response, the glowing blue spirit turned and fled from him, wandering deeper into the mysterious cavern. An unexpected rage filled Lincolns bones as he witnessed this.

"Why won't you answer me!" He chased after him.

And before he knew it, he was twisting and turning through a maze-like area - barely keeping up with spirit. It was boundless, wherever they turned there was another pathway _he_ took, it was like an endless maze. And before long, his legs began to tire and his pace slowed. He couldn't keep up. A few seconds later, he lost sight of him. Lincoln growled at this; But regardless of this lost, he still kept searching in attempt to rediscover the trail he lost.

Whispers began to fill his ears from every direction as he continued to seek out the figure, it was a confusing and wary sound. Yet it felt as if they were guiding him. He followed the advice of the enigmatic murmurs despite it's incomprehensible words. - and not much later ended up in a clearing that had countless of pathways littered around him. The whispers grew louder to the point where it overcrowded his ability to think. He began to feel compressed, and then his mind clicked. It was a trap, a calculated strategy to lure him in circles where he'd surely get lost. And obliviously, he willingly allowed them to do as they pleased with him.

Angered by this, he began to try and shout over the whispers that continued to barrage him with endless mutters.

"So this is it - This is **_my_ **punishment?!" He looked around, an irritated and enraged expression glued onto him. "Am I going to be stuck here until I see the error of my ways, until I repent!" Clenching his fist, he tightly shut his eyes as he spat. "Well you're gonna have to wait a long time, because I don't regret a _**damn thing!**_ "

In an instant, the whispers ceased to overcome his hearing. And with returning stability to his burning emotions, he slowly opened his eyes. Once more the spirit appeared just a few feet away completely unfazed by Lincolns anger nor hostility towards him.

"I'm done." He lightly spoke. The spirit made no move nor gesture to let him know that he understood. "Look." He began once more with a heavy chest. "I'm not playing this fucking game of yours. I'm sorry alright I - I know you had dreams. Dreams that you can never obtain anymore, and - " He choked. "Look - I know you're mad. And I know you want revenge for what I did. But this is taking too long - So either wake me up, or just- just fucking kill me already!"

The spirit continued its muteness. It had no good reason to reply to his antics, and he intended to keep it that way. This response seemed to brush Lincoln the wrong way since he was never left without an answer. He was about to retort once more, demanding for an answer, a clue, or some kind of _wisdom_ that'll help him understand the meaning of his presence here.

A baby's cry filled his ears once more. His voice lost to the sound of that who which is not even a toddler. Peeking over the spirit, he caught sight of another door, a roughly shaped worn out wooden door that gave off the hunch that it could collapse on itself any second. The spirit slowly stepped aside; Whatever he wanted to show Lincoln was surely beyond this door.

With a gulp, he took his first few cautious steps that crunched on the loose pavement below. Placing his palm against the door, he lightly pushed it, causing it to burst into shiny particles that slowly faded after a few seconds. The crying continued, and with that came the sound of a groaning woman. She looked like some sort of hologram, much like the spirit. But she was _filthy_ , really - really filthy. Covered in dirt and scum, she forced back a loud scream of pain as a healthy looking child slowly began oozing through her vaginal canal. A man who was equally as filthy as the woman was on his knees between her legs, helping her give birth to the child. Around them were dozen of other men and women, some even children who were equally as disgusting as the two. They were covered in torn rags, and there hygiene was clearly poor to the naked eye.

 ** _"Come on, push! You're almost there!"_ **The man's voice statically echoed in his Lincoln's ear.

 _ **"What the hell do you think I'm doing?!"**_ The woman cursed in agony.

A few more pain-filled cries later, the baby was born. And with that came an exhausted, but delighted mother.

 ** _"Congratulations."_** The man smiled as he snipped the umbilical cord off with any sharp object he could find. _**"It's a girl."**_

 _ **"My - "**_ The mother panted as she weakly reached for her child. _**"My baby girl."**_

The child was handed to its mother as she embraced it with a loving smile. It was a heartwarming sight to see a mothers affection towards its offspring, but it wasn't long until her smile faded.

 _ **"M - My friends."**_ She weakly spoke. **_"We must keep my daughter a secret. If they find out I was actually in labor; Only god knows what they will do to her. They'd take her away without a second thought!"_**

 _ **"Don't worry, we'll make sure she'll be alright."** _The man spoke, but equally as worried. _**"But you do know we can't hide her forever - Do you - Do you think your spouse will come for you? I mean, by gods name he probably thinks you're dead!"**_

The woman quietly avoided his gaze. _**"He'll - He'll come for me."**_

Lincoln saw her gaze shifted over to him. Their eyes locked, and for a second he actually felt as if he was there. It was a dark, empty feeling. Something that he hoped he never got to feel again. The woman kept her eyes locked onto his, but he knew she couldn't see him like he could see her. She stared beyond his form as if awaiting someone special.

 _ **"I know he will."**_

That was the last thing that escaped her lips until her, and everyone else in this room vanished; Leaving behind a lifeless, depressing room that was vacant of human life for who knows how long. Lincoln took a few steps forward and stopped right before ground the woman had given birth to. He stood there for a few seconds before something caught his eye. Crouching down, he brushed the dirt off an object that was buried in the ground. It was a skull. And judging by the size of it, the - _child_ wasn't even a year old.

"They got her." He thought in light grief.

A shiny blue light caught his attention, glancing behind him the spirit stood on what was left of the door. His face still remaining expressionless. Standing to his feet, Lincoln made a 90 degree turn.

"Why did you show me this?" He questioned.

 ** _"Your ancestors."_** It replied.

Taken aback by its response, he could only stand in confusion like a deer frozen by a light flashing down upon it in the midst of dusk.

"My... ancestors?" He slowly repeated. "What do they have to do with anything?"

The spirit turned to leave, glancing back lightly he spoke. _**"Don't make the same mistake he did Lincoln."** _He spoke. **_"Your fight isn't over yet."_**

Before Lincoln could reply, he felt the grown go loose beneath him and he plummeted into a dark, empty hole that presented no end to its downfall. Lincoln shot his head up from his arms and glanced around frantically, he was still in his cell. Early dawn began to emit a bit of sunlight through the cracks of the cell. Slowly standing to his feet, he went over to to front of the jail cell and looked at the metal bars he fell through awhile back. He stared at them for a few seconds, and with light shaky hands, he reached out to grab it.

Solid

Feeling the cold metal around his palm confirmed his thoughts that he was no longer in an abnormal state of mind. Sighing, he went back to the corner of the cell and plopped himself down on the corner once more. It was all a dream, a crazy dream. He lightly chuckled at the experience he received, it felt almost like he was in a movie. But it turned out to be his own figment of imagination that clouded reality from a fantasy once more.

\- Or was it?


	10. Chapter 10

_*10 Days after the Horrific Event*_

A built up crowd stood out the court, many with picket signs demanding justice for the four children that were brutally attacked that afternoon just over a week ago. Many shouted insults at the man named Lincoln, but the majority was chanting, _**"Life in Prison"**_ or, _**"Death Penalty"**_ despite that punishment being abolished from Michigan in the year of 1847. News of the upcoming trial blew up so fast across the U.S to the point where it was being aired nationwide where millions of Americans were currently watching to witness the future of Lincoln Loud unfold before them. Court has already been in session for nearly 12 hours, and the jury was beginning to grow frustrated and tired while the craving to just leave began to grow more overwhelming.

The Loud Family and a few ndividuals who were familiar of Lincoln in any kind of way such as Mr. Grouse, **(Who is surprisingly still alive)** Mrs. Johnson, Wilbur Huggins, Ms. DiMartino, Chandler, Clyde, Ronnie, Albert (Pop- Pop) Myrtle (Gran-Gran) and many more sat among the crowd. Lincoln sat next to his lawyer, his held his head low while taking occasional small glances around the room. Closing statements were almost upon them, and with the stack of evidence that clearly opposed his falsehood of innocence, Lincoln Louds future wasn't looking so bright at the moment. The prosecutor was currently questioning a witness that was near the scene of the crime, an elderly woman who spoke of what she saw before the bloodshed commenced. Her eyes when she managed to momentarily land on Lincoln were filled of undoubting fear. Not that it bothered him to begin with, he's grown use to such looks of fear, hatred, and sorrow from previous experience. But to see the same looks from those he care for, those eyes of sadness, anger, but most of all _disappointment. Well, it_ isn't something someone could swallow so easily. It was shattering. And in a way, made you **_hope_ **that you'd somehow get a death penalty. His eyes tried their best to avoid those unkind stares he received, not that he didn't deserve em in the first place.

"In the scene of the crime, a metal baseball bat that was nearly covered in blood was recovered. This object for the purpose of sport, was used as a deadly and lethal weapon that could've ended the lives of these young children. The witnesses that heard of an abnormal occurence in the neighborhood, were left shocked and horrified at what they witnessed near our communities public school grounds. This man, mercilessly driving his bat onto the skulls and bones of the victims, was of no doubt attempting to commit murder. So tell me, do you not deny these intentions of _murde_ r he conducted on those four children?" The Prosecutor questioned in a firm voice.

"Oh yes." The elder woman responded nodding her head. "Those poor babies would surely be on their way to our lord and savior if the police didn't show up when they did. But even then, this incident would surely leave those poor children mentally scared and challenged for life."

The prosecutor nodded as he took a deep breath. "No further questions your honor."

Lincoln raised his eyes to meet the prosecutor. They were red from holding back tears while his pupils almost looked void of even the smallest remnant of a soul. To the common person, he seemed to be full of remorse, but this was all a facade he put up that kept the dicey man behind it from being exposed.

The Judge turned his attention to Lincoln. "Well Mr. Loud." He said. "What do you have to say?"

"...Yes." He plainly answered. "I did intend to kill those kids, but it wasn't for some _disgusting_ act of pleasure some of you presume it to be..." His teeth gritted lightly as he spoke. "Nor was it for a twisted and gut-wrenching ideology the media assumes." He began to slowly rise his voice. "I did it for one reason, and one reason only! To secure! To fortify! And to shield her from the sinful acts of a broken society that refuses to teach their cattle right from wrong! Did I regret what I did? No, I didn't. Did I find any pleasure committing such an act? Absolutely not. In fact, my heart goes out to those affected by such actions I engaged in. If could take it back, I'd _reeducate_ them in a similar but a little less ferocious approach. But to be a bystander means that one will accept such foul behavior. And to see someone I care for deeply be a victim of where society has failed to control, means I'd take drastic measures into my own hands. All while this sickening community I once had faith in as a child would overlook the rolls of the guilty portraying themselves as the innocent."

The room was silenced. Those words that were blasted into their ears stayed stuck on the top of their heads in a stunned hearing. It was something they didn't expect to hear, almost as if he actually snapped.

The prosecutor cleared his throat after getting a hold of his thoughts. "I-I'm sorry Mr. Loud, but will you please clarify?"

"...The cycle has already repeated. Nothing I say will change the outcome of this trial. Do what you may, but pray that the chosen path would be the one to assist our broken world to a hidden sanctuary. Or else you will all face the wrath of judgement day."

 **"He's insane"** Almost everyone in the room thought

Lincoln's lawyer leaned up to him and hissed into his ear. "What in the fuck was that about?"

"You all believe you're safe behind your petty laws of order and reason." He muttered. "In truth you're not, none of you are." Glancing at his lawyer, his eyes sharply punctured into his with spite. "I've seen and heard much more than any one in this room can possibly imagine."

Before he could respond, the judge spoke. "Are we ready for closing statements?"

"Your honor." The prosecutor stood. "If you'd allow us, we would like to call on one more witness to the stand."

"...Proceed."

"Then, the Court hereby calls Lily Loud to the stand."

Slamming his hands on the table, Lincoln stood to his feet swiftly. "Objection!" He yelled.

His lawyer stood not a second later. "O-Objection!" He yelled before whispering in Lincolns ear. "What are you doing?!"

"Overruled."

"No!" Lincoln made his move to put a stop to this.

"Subdue him, now!" The Judge ordered. Not a second later, two officers who were well built pounced on him slamming his head on the table. Despite his face stinging and arms being restrained, he fought back with an enraged bears strength against the two officers and was slowly beginning to overpower them. Three more officers came fourth and assisted to put a stop to Lincoln's resilient and violent behavior and easily overpowered him seconds later.

"No! I won't let you take her from me! Not again!" He screamed. "Not agai-"

They slammed his face down against the table once more.

"L-Lincoln! Just stop fighting. Please!" Rita cried.

The cries of his mother seemed to stick to him, for his tense body calmed down for a split second that was just enough time for the officers to slap a pair of handcuffs on his wrist while binding his legs together, only then did they release him and settled him back in his seat. Letting his head hang low, his mouth and nose bled and began to drip down his skin. His breathing was a little heavy, and his chest heaved with every breath he drew.

"Have you settled down?" The judge questioned. The only response he received was silence. "I will not tolerate such behavior in my court room. Next time you decide to pull a stunt like that I'll have you behind bars before you can take another breath! Do you understand!"

...

"Do you understand Mr. Loud?!"

"Y-" With a reluctant, yet rebellious tone he responded. "Yes, your honor."

The judge nodded, satisfied by the answer he received. Turning his head, he gave a kind smile to Lily who approached the stand holding Bun-Bun. She took her seat, and the questioning began.

"Young child." The prosecutor began. "If you'd be kind enough - As much as we all wish to put this behind us, would you recall the events that happened 10 days ago."

"..It, depends." She softly spoke. "What would you like to know?"

"You left us with our detectives with an unclear answer, did you perhaps _see_ anything. From what we know you were huddled inside a vehicle next to the crime seen. So you surely saw something."

The room was silent, all awaited the youths response to the question given to her.

"No..." She finally answered.

"Now Lily, I understand that Lincoln is your sibling. And you wish to protect him from the law, but think real hard about what you're saying as well as the peoples lives he just affected and-"

"I said no!" She yelled. "I didn't see a thing alright! In fact, I wish I never heard what I did that day either!"

"Hear?" The man questioned. "Please elaborate young one."

Settling her emotions down, Lily gulped as she refused to make contact with the defendant nor any individual in the room. Hesitantly, she spoke.

"There was... insults being thrown at first. And then there were screams, ear-ringing screams that I have had nightmares of ever since. They cried, they begged, and I wanted to beg with them. But it just wouldn't stop."

Clutching the stuffed rabbit close to her chest, a few strands of tears fell from her eyes. She looked up and made eye contact with her brother. And at first, Lincoln expected to see an the same expression of hatred and betrayal, but it wasn't that. It was of understanding and regret, but most of all of confusion.

"But... I know why he did it. And I don't blame him for it..."

Everyone was taken aback by her statement.

"Because deep down, he saw _her_ in me. He was protecting me. I see it now. After they hurt me and left me soaked in the corner covered in dirt... it made me wonder, 'Why? What did I do to them? Why would they hurt me?' I didn't know why, but I knew I was abandoned. Not from torture the they given me, but from all signs of security and protection this community has given to their youths. My... My _brother_ was the only person that came to my aid. He committed to a roll where dozens of others failed to uphold."

It was a chilled breakthrough to their pride one could say. Reporters from various of news stations jolted the words that stuck to them down as fast as their fingertips would allow them to move. A moving statement by one so young using vocabulary much greater than expected of her age. It was astonishing.

"Anything else you'd like to ask?" The judge questioned the prosecutor.

After blinking out of his thoughts, he nodded at the judge. "Ah yes, just one more if you'd be so kind." Walking back to his table he grabbed a paper and walked back to Lily "We received a hold of this... sketch that you left back in the Police Station." He presented the item to her before handing it to the judge for inspection. "I'd like to know the meaning behind this drawing."

Looking at the drawing, Lily smiled at what she saw on the paper. "He's my - _our_ \- guardian angel." That was all she said

"Hmm." The Judge scratched his beard interestingly before handing it back to the defendant. "You're a talented artist for one your age." He looked down at Lily who smiled up in return.

Retrieving the paper, the prosecutor sighed. "No further questions." He spoke before returning to his seat.

"If there are no more questions to be made, then we shall now begin closing statements." The judge looked at the prosecutor that represented the families that were involved in this tragic event. "You may begin when you're ready."

The prosecutor stood once more and walked over to the jury. "People of Royal Woods, I stand before you not as your enemy, but a friend." He paced back and fourth looking at everyone in the eyes; Men and women of all ages. "Lincoln Loud has proven to be a dangerous individual by the damage inflicted on those poor children a little over a week ago. His presence is not only a threat to our daily lives, but to our children as well. There is much proof of this if you go down to the hospital and look at gaze upon those four victims who are still in a large amount of pain to this day. Would you be comfortable letting your child attend school and walk home knowing that a man like this lives in this town? I know I won't. So I ask of you now, do it for the children and ensure their safety. Vote Guilty." With one final look, he walked back to his chair in silence.

Lincoln looked at his lawyer and could see he was nervous. He didn't blame him though, throughout this entire trial he has not shown much of a reason he should be let free. And the ten year missing presence of his record did not help define who he was and the type of person he has come to be. To be clear, he was screwed. And there was not a goddamn thing anyone could do about it. His lawyer stood and walked over to the jury giving his own speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury. I have defended both good, and bad people throughout my time as a lawyer-"

His voice muffled in Lincolns ears as he gazed behind him to look at everyone that came. His family clearly has given him the blessing of their presence, though the anxious and deflated looks they gave him after noticing his gaze at them wasn't a good one. Moving along he saw Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran, their reunion was touching and memorable. It was about two weeks after coming home did the two elderly couples decided to give them a visit. And when they noticed his presence, it was one that made them felt they were seeing a ghost. It was sad that they had to meet again under these circumstances. Gran-Gran clearly looked bad to see him like this, but Pop-Pop was more difficult to read. Though he presented no distinguishable emotion, Lincoln knew he was hurting inside. Clyde and Ronnie gave him the pleasure of coming along, they sat next to his family greeting them before coming in. Clyde was his best bud, and probably would be forever despite their long time apart. Ronnie was a different story, it was hard to look at her straight in the eye after what happened back then. He knew because she avoided his gaze whenever they locked eyes with each other. His former principle, teacher, and substitute teacher he did not expect to see here. But I guess it was reasonable since he did disappear so long ago and they would like to see if it was really him. Mr. Grouse, my god how is that man is still alive after so long, seemed concerned for his well-being as well. He wasn't surprised, because shortly before he was taken on a journey across the U.S, both he and Mr. Grouse began to bond closer than what they both admitted to believe. Usually Lincoln went and visited Mr. Grouse about twice a week, sometimes three if he really had trouble at home. The reason he did this was because he wanted someone to talk to with some troubles an eleven year could experience. And at times he just couldn't find that comfort with his family or friends. Until he decided to talk to Mr. Grouse about a few things, and... It felt, nice. Almost refreshing. It felt right when he was with him, just talking the day away. And getting each others perspective from an elder man to a young child. In fact, he still remembered the best chat he ever had with him. The one that left him questioning his reality as he knows it while enjoying the last few moments of familiarity that night just a few hours before he left for disciplinary bootcamp.

 _*Flashback*_

 _Ten Years Ago 11:23 P.M_

 _An eleven year old Lincoln knocked on Mr. Grouses door rather desperately as if he being chased by some monster and was searching for some place to take shelter from the danger. After another ten or so seconds, Mr. Grouse opened the door with a yawn while his eyes were filled with a bit of annoyance._

 _"Grr, who the devil is making all of that racket?" He tiredly yelled._

 _"M-Mr. Grouse?"_

 _Mr. Grouse gaze fell down a good 3 or 4 feet before making eye-contact with a shivering Lincoln lightly shivering due to the freezing temperature at this time of night. "Loud?" He perked up a bit. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?" He stood behind Lincoln and gestured him inside. "Come on, get inside and warm up. You must be shivering out here."_

 _The door shut behind them, and nearly half an hour later both youth and elderly were sitting on the floor beside the chimney that currently held burning wood. Mr. Grouse grabbed a log or two he kept stored nearby and threw them inside to ensure the long lasting fire from dying out anytime soon._

 _"There." He clasped his hands together rubbing them. "That should keep you warm."_

 _"Um" Lincoln stared back and fourth between the elder and the burning fire. "Why didn't you just turn the heater on?"_

 _Mr. Grouse scoffed waving it off. "Pfft, that darn thing pulls too much money out of my account with what I'm comfortable with, besides..." He sat next to Lincoln smiling at the young one after resting his buttocks on the carpet. "...this atmosphere brings me back to my gold ol' days as a child before all this technology was developed."_

 _The two sat in silence, the only sound being heard was the crackles of the fire breaking down what was left of the lumber into small ashy particles in it's extreme temperature._

 _"Why do you seem so distressed Loud?" Mr. Grouse began seeing as how Lincoln wasn't gonna say a word anytime soon._

 _"I-It's just." He sighed. "I got into - Well, my sisters were going to get into a really bad situation with my father. After a mistake I made rummaging through my dads old stuff, I revealed something that everyone sparked an interest in knowing. One thing led to another, and we ended up smashing the one thing my father cherished. The look in his eyes, it told it all. He had enough of our shenanigans. Given this short amount of time to reflect about my sisters and my past, I could now see how hard my father kept himself under control for us, yet now we overstepped our boundaries more than should've been done. But the thing was, his anger and frustration was aimed at my sisters since my current situation at the time made me seem to be the victim of the matter. He threatened to send them, all of them away to some - camp - if no one stepped up and took responsibility." He sniffed as tears began to swell in his eyes. "I-I couldn't let that happen to them. To be forced to undergo a dramatic change that'll alter their personality forever." He began to shake violently, if this was due to the cold or emotional stress he was taking, it wasn't clear. "I-I-"_

 _Lincoln suddenly felt a toasty and soft blanket being wrapped around his vulnerable body, shielding him from depths of despair that threatened to claim him._

 _"Oh, Lincoln." Mr. Grouse sympathetically spoke. His old arms wrapped around the youth and pulled him in to his side as if attempting to transfer the wisdom he has obtained throughout his years. "Don't say any more." He turned his gaze back to the fire. Picking a fire poker he laid next to him, he began moving the burnt wood around in attempt to make it burn longer. "I know what you're going through, because I had a similar encounter back when I was just a child."_

 _Lincoln stirred a bit, his interest spiking as he looked up at his elderly neighbor. "Y-You did?"_

 _Mr. Grouse nodded softly. "Yes, I have. It was a long time ago. I covered for my brother, and had them fooled thinking that they got him." His eyes blankly stared ahead as if they were having a visionary flashback, and a light smile lightly grazed his lips thinking of his youth. "It was back when we were young and impulsive. We dreamed big, bigger than what we could ever imagine at the time. We were so full of life that the need for adventure and to conquer filled our bones. It was a time when youthful fantasies became miracles... but then the war came."_

 _Mr. Grouse's smile faded, and eyes full of regret and pain overtook it. "April 25th, 1969." He blurted out._

 _Lincoln stayed silent and respectful listening to Mr. Grouse speak._

 _"That was the day it all started, the day they were suppose to take my brother. He was only 18, 18! And he was already being prepared as cannon fodder. We received mail from the Selective Service System informing us that he was ordered to report for the Armed Forces Physical Examination. I was... all of us were terrified. My brother was as healthy and strong as an Ox wrestling an alligator. So they'd surely take him if he went. ...But he didn't, he evaded them. He evaded them as long as he could to the point where he had to make drastic changes in his life. He had to leave, he couldn't stay with us anymore since the Federal government began eyeing our house almost every hour of the day. No one would shelter him, no one would look after him. Despite our friendly relations with pretty much everyone who lived in our town. No one would risk their lives and their families to house a fugitive on the run. He was on his own. Rarely did he ever come back to visit us. But when he did, he was in and out as fast as you could say 'hello'. Never in a long time had we managed to find the time to have a nice conversation. It was a difficult time for my family, my mother and father, brother and sisters, we all held a burden in fear of him being captured at one point. During the time, I was contaminated with Legionella Pneumonia, a disease that quickly broke out at the time. I was suppose to be drafted a few months back. But after examining my health, they concluded that I was too sick for combat duty and sent me away. Instead, they chose the next in line to fill my spot. My brother, Bill Grouse."_

 _He sniffed lightly as a small tear crept out of his eye as he continued to recall the moments of his past._

 _"One day, out of nowhere. He bursted into our house. The look on his face was enough for all of us to know what was happening - they found him. I can't remember much of what happened after that. But there was a whole lot of fussing, crying, and arguing back and forth about what we should do. I've never been so scared in my life, Loud. Never. But that didn't stop me from taking action. My brother and I, even though he was a bit younger than me, we had a similar enough resemblance that could've passed us off as twins. At that moment, I thought of the craziest idea ever. Against everyones train of thoughts, I had my brother swap his already torn, messy, stain covered clothing with my clean pair. He was confused at first, but after I began putting his clothing on I'm sure he figured out what my intentions were since he tried to talk me out of it. With the way this story is headed, I'm sure there isn't much more I can say that you haven't figured out already. I was tooken that day, not my brother."_

 _Lincoln couldn't help but listen attentively to every word Mr. Grouse, as old and grumpy he can be, had to say about the experience he went through. The silence that grew between them began to grow unsettling with Lincoln. He wanted to say something, but what could he say at that point?_

 _"Loud..."_

 _Lincoln noticed the elderly mans eyes were settled upon him. They were filled with such recognition that it was like Lincoln and Mr. Grouse was staring at a picture of their past and future selves. "_

 _The moral of the story is that. Even though life can be hectic and unpredictable at times. Even if it was made over an act you made, or a lie you took to stick up for someone else. Sometimes we do the wrong things..." He placed his hand on Lincolns shoulder. "But for the right reasons."_

 _Lincoln stared into Mr. Grouse's eyes as he spoke those words. It stuck to him like a glue trap. And from then on out, it constantly eased his worries for difficult decisions he had to cope with._

 _*Flashback End*_

"Has the Jury reached a statement." The Judge questioned

"We have your honor." A man from the Jury stood holding a folder in his hands. "We the Jury, have found the culprit Lincoln Loud guilty of attempted murder, child abuse, and 1st Degree Assault."

Rita, Leni, Myrtle, and Lily began to break down in tears as those haunting words. Mr. Grouse held his head slightly down to hide the sadness he expressed. Albert Loud clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in anger as he fought to hold back the raging monster inside of him from letting loose. The remaining loud sisters who haven't been mentioned did their best to hold their composure, but it was clear they were in as much distress as everyone else. There shoulders and arms were tensed and there hands clenched onto a chunk of their clothing.

"Very well." The Judge turned his attention back to Lincoln

"Lincoln Loud, decided by the Jury of the court .You have been found guilty and will be sentenced to 138 years in prison without the possibility of parole!" The Judge grabved his gavel and made an attempt to slam it on the desk signifying that court has come to an end, but as soon as that happened the doors to the court room busted open and in came GySgt Jackson, and Sgt Carlos from the Armed Forces Recruiting Station.

"Hold it right there." GySgt Jackson spoke in a firm voice that it echoed throughout the building.

The Judge narrowed his eyes at the two service members feeling slightly disrespected due to how brief and sudden their entrance was. "What's the meaning of this?" He questioned.

"My apologies for coming in unannounced your honor." GySgt Jackson handed a stack of papers to the Judge. But MSgt Lincoln Loud has been ordered by the Marine Corps to revert his contract back into an active duty service member." GySgt Jackson crossed his arms. "However, due to the criminal acts our fellow marine has committed, we want you to drop all charges and leave the Corps to inflict their own punishment."

The Judge raised his eyebrows. "And what would that be?"

"To serve the under the military forever untill deemed that he can retire as well as forfeiture of all pay and benefits provided by the military given before and now."

"He'll basically be a slave!" The judge narrowed his eyes. "Slavery isn't something we do in the United States, the Federal Government and military of all individuals should know this."

"I'm afraid I can't do much about that. I'm just a freaking recruiter who was ordered to be a messenger, MSgt Loud will be leaving with us with or without the consent of the people." He turned to Lincoln and approached him. "Your status has been reactivated to Active Duty 0400 earlier this day. I'm sure you of all people understands the position you're in."

Lifting him from his seat, GySgt Jackson kept Lincoln balanced while Sgt Carlos unbinded the restraints binded to him.

"We're leaving."

Without another word to be uttered, he began leading Lincoln out of the Court Room, his arm grappled onto GySgt Jacksons own.

"Lincoln."

Out of the corner of his eye his mother stood up and made an attempt to hug her child. Lincoln began to move to her direction to return the hug.

"Mothe-"

GySgt Jackson yanked Lincoln to him. "Not now." He hissed to him. "You're in much more danger than you may think. Right now we gotta go."

Jackson pushed the doors opened, and a bombardment of flashes and roars of anger filled their ears.

"Go to hell Loud!"

"You Monster!"

"I hope you die you sick fuck!"

Lincoln held his head low as he was escorted through the crowd where dozens of angry citizens tried to grab a hold of him and tear him apart. A few scratches and cuts made its way through, and a violent/repeated honking of a horn gained his attention. A white van pulled up in front of the two, with Sgt Carlos just catching up to the two.

"Get in!"

The door flew open, and to his confusion Lisa was sitting on the other side of the door waiting for him.

"Quickly elder brother!" She said. "The built up mob around us only makes me assume with the coopers color code that they're all in stage black."

Lisa grabbed Lincolns shoulders and pulled him in.

"What the-" Lincoln eyes snapped around for a second. "Why are you here?!"

"I could say the same for you dragging me into this mess." Lisa crossed her arms. "But it's not so bad when I think of how much more time I'm able to spend with my brother."

"What are you talking about?"

"Relax Loud." GySgt spoke. "I'll explain to you a little bit of what's going on. But I really don't know the entire picture either. Supposedly we need something, but the only way we can get to it is from you."

"...what?!" He blinked. "I don't have shit on me Jackson! Hell, I don't even know what's this is all about anymore. Am I getting locked up or what?!"

"The Marine Corps needs you." He spoke. "I don't know why though. What we pulled off back there was just an act our Chain of Command ordered us to do from their superiors. It'll only be a matter of time until the covers unfold and the entire nation will be screaming for justice. If only you hadn't done such a stupid crime this would've gone a whole lot smoother. But now, this will probably turn into some Top Secret film movie or whatever."

"Why would the Marine Corps need me though?! I'm just another retired veteran."

"That's the thing, what we need from you is up here." He tapped his head. "All they told me is that you have some kinda knowledge, somewhere in there they need. Information during the battle of Qardho. Do you remember anything?"

"I..." Lincoln closed his eyes as the sound of gunfire and screams began to enter his ears. "I don't... I don't remember... I don't wanna remember. It's too traumatic." He sighed.

"That's why I brought your sister." The driver spoke looking in the rear view mirror. "Pleasure to meet you MSgt Loud. I'm Captain Rave, I guess you can say I'm leading this mission in some way."

He continued speaking without interruption. "We know of your condition. Of how difficult and reluctant your mind is pf remembering past events that leave a mental scar. But this is something we need you to help us with. For the sake of living another day in a free nation."

"B-But... why my sister?"

"Well, she sorta brought herself to us. I don't know why or how, but she's a gifted child. And with her technological advances it would surely be foolish to pass her up."

Lisa was seen typing on a computer at a rapid pace. "I'm sorry brother. But I want to help you as much as you want to help those dear to you." She pulled out a familiar looking helmet. "Now please..."

Lincolns chair kicked back letting him lay down.

"Just relax and continue where we left off." Slipping the helmet on, she began the process of starting up the system. Remember, right when you arrived to Camp Pendleton."

"...C-Camp..." His mind began to transcend once more into a state of emptiness. "E..ll.." And just like that, he was asleep.

"Why Camp Pendleton?" Captain Rave spoke. "That's so far back in his career from where we need to go.

"If we try to force a memory out of him, it'll only spiral into a catastrophic mess that could make my invention go bonkers and possibly kill him in the process. The memory has to be unlocked through other memories, so patience until then we must have."

"Of course." Sgt Carlos mumbled.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence as they headed back to the Loud residence. Lisa slipped in a quick text to his sisters who she had them all in a group chat.

 **"Come home, quickly." -Lisa**

 **"Lisa? Where are you!" -Lori**

 **"We've been searching everywhere, dude." -Luna**

 **"Just hurry... it's Lincoln." -Lisa.**

 **"On my way!" They all replied instantly.**

Lisa sighed and closed her eyes a bit waiting for her frame to kick in to the memory of her brother. It's going to be a hectic ride from here on out that's for sure. She could only hope they all come out it safely.


	11. AUTHORS NOTE!

**Hey, yeah it's me. Been awhile hasn't it. Sorry for such a long delay guys, and honestly dont expect too many updates anymore. Not that I'm not going to update I will. But as a newly made Active Duty Service member in the Untied states Marine Corps, time is really minimum for me nowadays. I went to bootcamp November12th of 2018 and Graduated February8th of 2019. And I will say experiencing a few simulations of basic combat situations has certainly and hopefully make writing combat scenes that much more intense to you. The Crucible was one of the things that destroyed me, especially my feet.**

 **I just finished MCT right now and am headed to my new duty station for further schooling. MCT was pretty much what I found more related to combat scenarios that boot, so that'll definitely be a plus. Anyways I'm not trying to make anything go into too much depth .But I just wanted to inform you all of what's been happening. Thanks for reading. :**

 **Pvt Myth out.**

 **MAKE SURE TO READ THE CHAPTER I JUST RELEASED BEFORE THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE. YOU'D THOUGHT I'D POP IN WITHOUT RELEASING A NEW CHAPTER?! HA! YOU THOUGHT WRONG!**


End file.
